California quarry worker allegedly kills three people

A manhunt was underway for a disgruntled employee who allegedly killed three people at a California quarry and injured seven in two separate shootings.

Shareef Allman, 49, a trucker at the Lehigh Southwest Cement Permanente Plant, allegedly showed up at a company safety meeting early Wednesday armed with a rifle and handgun and opened fire, killing two at the scene and wounding seven others.

The other victim died in hospital.

Six people were injured, including two seriously in the initial incident at the Hanson Permanente quarry in Cupertino, south of San Francisco, said Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jose Cardoza.

A short time later the suspect shot a woman in the leg at a parking lot nearby after an attempted carjacking, before fleeing on foot in Sunnyvale, near the headquarters of computer giant Hewlett Packard, she said.

The victims were identified as John Vallejos, 51, and Mark Munoz, 59, both of San Jose, and Manuel Pinon, 48, of Newman, Calif., said Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith. Vallejos and Munoz died at the scene and Pinon died at a hospital, Los Angeles Times reports.

Police said Allman had a minor criminal record dating back to 1996.

A statement from the quarry company's chief executive, Dan Harrington, said he was “shocked and saddened by this morning’s events.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. I have committed the company's resources to assist our affected employees during this difficult time," Harrington said in the company’s statement.

“We continue to gather details of what happened, and are working with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation.”