Alabama postal worker charged with firing shots

Law enforcement officers gather outside the Winton Blount U.S. Post Office in Montgomery, Ala., after a gunman opened fire inside the structure, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. No one was injured and authorities have a suspect in custody. The post office was evacuated and surrounding streets were cordoned off by police during the incident. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

By Phillip Rawls and Jeff Martin

Associated Press / December 2, 2011

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MONTGOMERY, Ala.—A 29-year-old postal employee was charged with two counts of attempted murder Friday after authorities said he used two guns to fire shots inside the main post office in Alabama's capital city.

No one was injured in the shootings Thursday night. Officials weren't disclosing a motive or whether the employee was targeting any specific employee.

Officials said the employee, Arthur Lee Darby Jr., was in the Montgomery County Jail with bond set at $1 million.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Clark Morris, said the man showed up for work in the mail sorting area and began firing shots about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Witnesses said a supervisor yelled that a man had a gun, and employees scurried outside.

Police took the man into custody within 10 minutes of getting a 911 call from the post office.

Police Chief Kevin Murphy said many officers were able to respond quickly because they were on holiday patrols at a nearby mall and shopping centers and many had special training on how to handle such incidents.

"The best news is that nobody was hurt and the local police responded quickly," Postal Service spokesman Tony Robinson said Friday. "Management quickly had the building evacuated, which helped minimize the potential threat to the people."

The post office, located on the city's east side one block away from Auburn University Montgomery, reopened Friday morning with counselors available to talk to employees, Robinson said.

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Jeff Martin reported from Atlanta.