A typical evening at the U.S. Postal Service processing center on Storke Road ended in carnage Monday night, when a former employee went on a shooting rampage.

Jennifer Sanmarco, 44, firing a 9mm handgun, shot and killed six Postal Service employees, then turned the gun on herself and committed suicide.

The victims were Ze Fairchild, 37, of Santa Barbara; Dexter Shannon, 57, of Oxnard; Nicola Grant, 42, of Lompoc; Guadalupe Swartz, 52, of Lompoc, and Maleka Higgins, 28, of Santa Barbara. Charlotte Colton, 44, of Santa Barbara, first was listed in critical condition at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. She later died of her injuries.

The massacre began just after 9 p.m., according to Sheriff Jim Anderson, who held a press conference at the scene of the crime Tuesday morning. As he spoke, local, state, and federal agencies were still in the early stages of their investigations.
According to Anderson, Sanmarco may have gotten in by closely following another car through the employees’ gate.

Survivors said Sanmarco had changed her appearance since her employment at the center. She gained access by using another worker’s cardkey, the sheriff said. The sprawling building, which serves Santa Barbara County as well as Ventura and Santa Maria, has no armed security guards.

Employees fled across the street to a nearby fire station soon after the shooting began.

“Within several minutes of the initial call, more than five deputies had arrived on scene and determined that a suspect had entered the facility armed with a firearm and began shooting employees,” Anderson said.

As they approached the front doors, officers found two workers shot dead in the parkimg lot. A third victim was located just outside the front door of the building, and a fourth just inside.

SWAT teams, which were dispatched to locate the killer and rescue additional victims, found three more bodies, one of which was the shooter’s.

“An act of violence is always a shock to the soul, but especially in a small community such as ours where our neighbors are our friends, and where violence of any kind is extremely rare,” said Mayor Jonny Wallis, who praised authorities for their actions. “We, as a community, are extremely saddened by this act of violence. A day at the office should not result in death."

Jennifer Sanmarco had worked at the sorting center at 400 Storke Road for six years as a part-time flexible distribution clerk, until 2003. She had one prior incident at the facility, where she was reported as “acting strangely” by her coworkers and subsequently removed by authorities. She was placed on medical disability for psychological problems, with no expectation that she would return to work. However, at that time of her removal, she was seen as more of a danger to herself than to others.

“She was not making any threats or anything of that nature,” said U.S. Postal Inspector Randy DeGasperin. “It was more for the safety of herself as far as her behavior.” At the time of the shooting, Sanmarco was not working for the Postal Service.
Authorities did not comment on any possible motives behind the shooting, nor did they discuss connections, if any, between the shooter and her victims.

“She worked in this facility, so chances are she may have known them,” said DeGasperin. He added that prior knowledge of the area and the employees’ comings and goings “was of assistance” to Sanmarco. DeGasperin did indicate that there were several employees that recognized Sanmarco. The killings occurred during what would have been the start of her shift.
On Tuesday evening, police found another victim who was shot by Sanmarco: a former neighbor who detectives surmised had been shot on Monday.

“Evidence and circumstances of both crimes show distinct correlations between the two,” Jeff Klapakis of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department told Associated Press.

That victim was Beverly Graham, 54, who died of a gunshot to the head. The incident is being seen as the start of Sanmarcos’ killing spree.

PHOTO BY SONIA FERNANDEZ