Suspect in custody after workplace shooting in North Andover

By John C. Drake and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

NORTH ANDOVER -- A week after being fired from Independent Tire, Robert Hassam Jr. returned today with two handguns to the store where he once worked, police said. Bypassing customers waiting in the lobby at 10:30 a.m., Hassam quickly found the object of his anger: Peter Mandeville, a co-worker with whom he had a simmering feud, police said.

As Mandeville repaired a car, Hassam , 25, took aim, police said.

"He came in, and he didn’t say anything. He just started shooting," Lieutenant Paul Gallagher said at a press conference outside the North Andover Police Department.

Mandeville, 36, was hit by bullets in the hand, hip, and leg, police said. He was flown to a Boston hospital, where his condition was not immediately available.

When two employees ran out of the tire store on Old Clark Road, Hassam chased them and kept shooting, police said. The other employees were not shot. Hassam fled toward Lawrence Municipal Airport, which is just north of the tire store.

Sergeant Chuck Gray and Kyzer, a 3-year-old German shepherd, tracked Hassam to woods on airport property, Gallagher said. Hassam initially responded to commands, putting his hands above his head and getting on his knees, Gallagher said. Then, Hassam suddenly reached for his waistband, where he had the two handguns, Gallagher said.

Gray released Kyzer, who pounced on Hassam and bit him on the head and shoulder. Police arrested Hassam, who was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, where he underwent surgery for bite wounds, Gallagher said.

The airport, which handles general aviation and not commercial flights, was closed for approximately 45 minutes while police searched for the suspect, according to the manager, Michael P. Miller.

Chuck Scala, an Independent Tire employee, said he left the store an hour before the shooting and returned to lights and sirens. It was hard to believe that violence struck the tire store, Scala said, where most employees got along. "It's always been harmony," he said.

Police did not describe the nature of the feud between Mandeville and Hassam.

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