Charles Brown
July 30, 1999
Atlanta Gunman Kills Himself By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TLANTA -- Authorities are grimly piecing together what they know about Mark O. Barton, the 44-year-old father, investor and former murder suspect who walked into two Atlanta brokerages and killed nine people.
Some questions may never be answered: Barton sped away after the shooting rampage, driving to a suburb where he killed himself Thursday evening as police closed in. Authorities later said he had killed his wife and two children before committing one of the worst workplace massacres in the nation's history.
Twelve people were injured, some by bullets and others by their frantic attempts to avoid the killer. Six remained in critical condition today.
Speculation on a motive has centered on Barton's work as a day trader, investors who dabble in risky, moment-by-moment changes in the stock market, which dropped sharply Thursday. But Barton's family was slain earlier this week and company officials said he hadn't traded since April at the firm where five of his victims died.
``We have no idea what caused Mr. Barton to begin shooting,'' Mayor Bill Campbell said.
Clues may be found in notes left with the bodies of his family. Police have not disclosed their contents, except to say that they had found a list indicating Barton had intended to kill at least three more people.
The shooting rampage -- the third in the Atlanta area in little more than two months -- and the ensuing manhunt stunned the city of 3.1 million and quickly captured national attention. It was the latest in a grisly wave of mass slayings at schools and workplaces, and President Clinton today expressed sadness at the bloodshed.
Barton, dark-haired and 6-foot-4, was wearing khaki shorts when he walked into the Momentum Securities brokerage at the Two Securities Centre building in the trendy Buckhead section of Atlanta about 3 p.m. Thursday.
Four people were dead within minutes.
``I saw a lot of blood in the hallway,'' said Chris Carter, 32, who works on the building's third floor. ``There was a trail of blood leading from one end of the hallway to the other.'.
Barton then walked across a busy six-lane road and into the All-Tech Investment Group, a day trading firm in the Piedmont Center building where he had been a client. Five died there.
Barton, who was carrying a pistol in each hand, at one point reportedly said: ``I hope this doesn't upset your trading day.'.
Barton came into the office ``and after speaking with our branch manager, suddenly stood up and for no reason opened fire on the manager and his secretary,'' Jai Ramoutar, director of All-Tech, said in a statement released from the company's headquarters in Montvale, N.J.
``This man then went into our main trading room and began indiscriminately shooting the customers.'.
Nell Jones, 53, a day trader at All-Tech, said she was sitting at her computer when she heard shots.
``I was sitting outside the door when he exited, so I was the first person to look into his eyes,'' Ms. Jones told WSB-TV. ``He was someone who was very calm and determined, no feelings. The bullet missed me and then he turned to shoot at other people, so I was able to escape,'.
Campbell said the victims were shot with 9 mm and .45-caliber handguns.
For the next five hours, the mayor and police did not know where Barton was and SWAT teams and helicopters swarmed Buckhead to look for him. Police told workers to stay in their offices and lock the doors; some huddled in their cubicles four hours after the shootings.
``We put the furniture up against the door and barricaded ourselves in,'' said Morgan Lyle, 51. ``We had no idea what was going on so we just got really quiet and tried to stay calm.'.
The rampage ended when Barton shot himself as police cornered him in a dark green minivan at a service station in Atlanta's northern suburbs.
``He was pulled over, and then killed himself,'' Campbell said.
The bodies of Barton's 27-year-old wife, Leigh Ann, and children, 11-year-old Matthew and 7-year-old Elizabeth Mychelle, were found in their home in Stockbridge, 16 miles southeast of Atlanta. Police said they had been bludgeoned to death perhaps as long as two days before the office shootings.
The children's bodies were in their beds, with sheets pulled up to their necks and towels around their heads so only their faces showed, said Jimmy Mercer, police chief in Henry County. Mrs. Barton's body was in a closet.
A handwritten note was left on each body and a computer-generated note left in the living room explained ``why he did what he did,'' Mercer said. He did not elaborate.
Barton's first wife and mother-in-law were bludgeoned to death in 1993 in Cedar Bluff, Ala. No arrests were made.
``He was the No. 1 suspect all the way through and still was,'' said Richard Igou, the district attorney at the time of the killings. The current prosecutor declined to say whether Barton was still a suspect.
Barton worked as a chemist before he began trading stocks, Campbell said.
``He had swings up and down,'' said the mayor. ``He apparently was concerned about losses, at least expressed that.
All-Tech requires each day trader to put up at least $50,000 in equity to open an account. To cope with the stress, the company employs a psychotherapist to help traders.
Atlanta is still reeling from earlier shootings, including a domestic dispute July 12 that left seven people dead. In May, a 15-year-old student shot six students in nearby Conyers, none fatally.