(Photo courtesy of WTVA 9 News)
An Alabama man who graduated from Mississippi State University was among those killed in a mass shooting at a warehouse in Illinois on Friday.
Josh Pinkard became plant manager at Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora, Illinois in the spring of 2018, according to an Associated Press report. He was also in the meeting with the gunman, who went on to kill five co-workers, including Pinkard, and wound six other people.
The company said Pinkard, 37, joined the parent company 13 years ago at its Albertville, Alabama facility.
The father of three earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University and a master's degree from the University of Arkansas, the report said.
"He loved God, his family and Mississippi State sports," a cousin wrote in a text to the Chicago Tribune that he said was written on behalf of Pinkard's wife, Terra.
The suspect, Gary Martin, was killed in a shootout with police following the shooting rampage.
Mississippi State on Monday referred to Pinkard as "a beloved husband and father" and "an enthusiastic fan of Bulldogs sports."
- The Associated Press contributed to this report