BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A man fired a day earlier from UPS killed two co-workers and then himself Tuesday after he donned a work uniform and evaded security by entering through a truck dock in the rear of the building, according to police and the company. 
 
 Police converge on a home in the Argo area of Birmingham, Ala. in connection with the investigation into an earlier shooting at the UPS service center in the city's Inglenook community, Tuesday, Sept.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police officers escort UPS employees on a bus from the scene where three people were killed, including the gunman, at a UPS facility in Birmingham, Ala., Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014. (AP Photo/ Al.com, Joe... (Associated Press) 
 
 A police officer stands guard at a UPS warehouse on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala. A UPS employee opened fire Tuesday morning inside one of the company's warehouses in Alabama, killing two... (Associated Press) 
 
 A UPS warehouse has police cars and tape surrounding it on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala. A UPS employee opened fire Tuesday morning inside one of the company's warehouses in Alabama, killing... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police converge on a home in the Argo area of Birmingham, Ala. in connection with the investigation into an earlier shooting at the UPS service center in the city's Inglenook community, Tuesday, Sept.... (Associated Press) 
 
 A UPS warehouse has police tape surrounding it on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala., after a UPS employee opened fire Tuesday morning inside one of the company's warehouses in Alabama, killing... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police converge on a home in the Argo area of Birmingham, Ala. in connection with the investigation into an earlier shooting at the UPS service center in the city's Inglenook community, Tuesday, Sept.... (Associated Press) 
 
 A UPS warehouse is surrounded by police tape after a shooting Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala. A UPS employee opened fire Tuesday morning inside one of the company's warehouses in Alabama,... (Associated Press) 
 
 A UPS truck driver enters a company warehouse on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala. A UPS employee opened fire Tuesday morning inside one of the company's warehouses in Alabama, killing two... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police converge on a home in the Argo area of Birmingham, Ala. in connection with the investigation into an earlier shooting at the UPS service center in the city's Inglenook community, Tuesday, Sept.... (Associated Press) 
 
 The two former UPS co-workers were shot dead within minutes Tuesday, and the shooter, identified by police as Kerry Joe Tesney, lay dead atop his gun from what police called a self-inflicted wound. 
 
 The shooter entered after about 80 drivers had left for the day to deliver packages from the Birmingham center, UPS said, possibly avoiding even more bloodshed. 
 
 "It was a relatively small crew that was remaining," said Steve Gaut, a spokesman for the shipping company. 
 
 Authorities haven't released the slain people's names but said they were members of management. 
 
 Pastor Bill Wilks of NorthPark Baptist Church described the 45-year-old Tesney of the Birmingham suburb of Trussville, as having been troubled over his work and financial situation but said the shooting was unbelievable. 
 
 "I think it's been an ongoing situation," Wilks said. "In his own spirit he's been troubled, and he's asked for prayer about that." 
 
 Tesney and his wife have two children. The family has been active members of the church since 2003, Wilks said. 
 
 "He's just a guy who went through his trials at work. Certainly we have prayed for him," Wilks said. 
 
 The church held a prayer service Tuesday night for the Tesney family and the slain workers. 
 
 The UPS warehouse, a light brown building sitting on a hill with company logos on the front and side, is used to sort packages and send them out on trucks. The building has a parking lot surrounded by barbed wire. 
 
 The man was wearing a UPS uniform and opened fire either in or near some offices inside the warehouse in an industrial area just north of the Birmingham airport, Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper told reporters. Police said one body was found outside one of the offices and the other two were inside an office. 
 
 The gunman had shot himself by the time officers got inside the warehouse, Roper said. 
 
 Gaut would not say what Tesney's job duties had been before his firing was finalized Monday. Police said Tesney had gotten that final notice in the mail. 
 
 Aside from the job with the shipping giant, Tesney and his wife, Melissa, are listed as distributors for Advocare, a multi-level marketing company that sells health and fitness products. They have a website advertising the business that says: "Just tell us your needs, your dreams your desires ... and we'll make it happen!" 
 
 Jefferson County court records showed a Birmingham business sued Tesney and UPS in 2010 claiming he had wrongly picked up a $4,000 radiator for shipment either intentionally or by mistake. The lawsuit went on for years before a judge ruled in favor of Tesney and the shipping company a year ago on Sept. 23, 2013. 
 
 However, it was not immediately clear whether that lawsuit may have played a role in the firing. ||||| BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --Three people are dead -- including the gunman -- after a shooting this morning at a UPS facility in Inglenook, according to Birmingham officials. 
 
 The incident happened just before 9:30 a.m. as police received multiple calls of an active shooter at 4601 Inglenook Lane, the customer service center and warehouse. "Patrol units responded quickly; they rallied and made entry,'' said Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper. "They were able to clear the building and, of course, during the shooting, multiple employees exited the facility." 
 
 Once the officers arrived and entered the building, they found three dead people inside the business. "It appears it was the shooter, still wearing his UPS uniform, and two other employees,'' the chief said. 
 
 Police officials have not publicly named the shooter, but law-enforcement sources, family and church members identified him as 45-year-old Joe Tesney. He is married, and the father of two daughters. 
 
 The gun used in the shootings was still underneath his body when police arrived on the scene. 
 
 Police this afternoon confirmed the shooter was fired from his job. "He received his final papers Monday,'' said police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards. "Today he was not expected to return to work because he was no longer employed there." 
 
 Tesney reportedly was fired within the past month and appealed the firing. He lost his appeal in recent days. 
 
 What led to his firing wasn't immediately available. Court records show an auto repair, design and testing shop, filed a lawsuit in November 2012 against Tesney and UPS in Jefferson County District Civil Court. 
 
 The lawsuit claims that on Nov. 5, 2010, Tesney came to the business to pick up packages. Along with the marked packages for shipment Tesney negligently, recklessly or intentionally took an unboxed custom one-of-a-kind radiator for a race truck that TSA Motorsports had shipped to HESCO for testing. The radiator was not marked or otherwise designated for shipment, the lawsuit claims. The radiator was valued at approximately $4,000. 
 
 The radiator was never returned or replaced by UPS or Tesney, the lawsuit states. Jefferson County District Judge Jack Lowther found in favor of Tesney and UPS after a bench trial on Sept. 10, 2013. 
 
 Tesney's mother-in-law, Wanda Binney, told AL.com today the family is shocked. "He was one of the best men I have ever known,'' she said. "He was a kind husband and a wonderful father." 
 
 Asked if anyone would predict this from Tesney, Binney said, "Anybody but Joe. He's never hurt anyone in his life." 
 
 "He was just a wonderful person and we're shocked,'' she said. She said the children have not been notified of their father's death. 
 
 Tesney was a member of Northpark Baptist Church in Trussville. The church released the following statement today to AL.com: "We are praying for the employees of UPS and the families of the victims of today's tragedy. Our hearts are grieved. We pray that the peace of our Lord would be near to those who have been devastated." 
 
 All three deceased were adult white males, and their names have not been publicly released. The two victims were supervisors at UPS, and police said they believe at least one was specifically targeted in the shooting. The other, sources tell AL.com, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. 
 
 UPS shooting sceñe pic.twitter.com/bzgzGVLhZ5 — carol robinson (@RobinsonCarol) September 23, 2014 
 
 It is believed the gunman shot himself. 
 
 Roper said no one else was injured. Police did not fire any shots, Roper said, nor did they hear any shots. "When the officers arrived in the parking lot and made entry, the incident in all respect was already over,'' he said. 
 
 Hundreds of police officers from Birmingham and Tarrant flocked to this morning's scene. Residents of nearby office buildings, and some family members of UPS workers, somberly gathered outside watching the incident unfold. 
 
 Roper said no one else inside was injured other than those who died. "We do have people who are extremely upset about what they saw today and what they witnessed,'' Roper said. "We want to make sure we support them." 
 
 They were taken by bus to Boutwell Auditorium, where police have blocked off the streets around there as counselors meet with employees. 
 
 Roper said the investigation will be methodical. "We'll be digging into the work history, into the background, also talking to family members and these other employees who may be able to shed some information on what happened today,'' he said. "We have a pretty good idea about what transpired inside the business. 
 
 "We want to make sure we get a good picture of what led up to today and what we can do in the future to prevent it,'' Roper said. 
 
 "It is extremely troubling for the city, for the families involved. When they came to work today, they had no idea it would be their last day alive on earth," he said. "They were just people working at their jobs." 
 
 As a precautionary measure, the campus of Springville elementary and middle schools were briefly placed on lock down because there is a connection between a person involved in the shooting and a child at the school, St. Clair County officials said. Authorities later confirmed there were family members at the schools when the shooting happened. 
 
 "It was just a precaution in case he was still at large," said Phillip Johnson, facilities manager for the county school system. 
 
 The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also on the scene at UPS. ATF officials said they are providing technical support, and any guns used in the shooting will be traced as well as submitted through NIBIN to determine if they had been used in any other shooting. 
 
 Birmingham police, ATF and St. Clair sheriff's deputies are on a secondary scene in an Argo-area subdivision where the alleged shooter lives. Lawmen have roped off the neighborhood and blocked entrance to the street. 
 
 Friends and family members of the alleged shooter gathered outside his home. Several people were taken from the scene by police, presumably for questioning. 
 
 "We are deeply saddened by today's events and offer our condolences to the families and employees impacted by today's tragedy. Chief Roper and the BPD have our full support as we investigate and get answers for all involved," said Mayor William Bell. 
 
 Gov. Robert Bentley also issued the following statement: "Dianne and I are saddened to learn about the deadly shooting at the UPS Center in Birmingham. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and co-workers of those who died this morning. 
 
 "I was briefed on the active shooter situation by the Alabama Secretary of Law Enforcement just moments after it occurred. I commend the quick and efficient response of Birmingham Chief A.C. Roper and his staff at the Birmingham Police Department. Today's incident is a reminder of the importance of law enforcement training to respond to active shooters. 
 
 "State law enforcement resources are available and ready to assist if needed as investigators work to determine a cause in this deadly shooting." 
 
 AL.com staffers Joe Songer, Bill Thornton, Kent Faulk and Mike Smith contributed to this report. 
 
 Updated at 12 p.m. to include additional information from Police Chief A.C. Roper and about the alleged shooter. 
 
 Updated at 3:08 p.m. to include the name of the shooter and statements from family and his church. 
 
 View Slayings in the Birmingham area, 2014 in a larger map ||||| 
 
 
 
 TRUSSVILLE, Alabama -- Those who went to church with him knew Joe Tesney as a mild-mannered, helpful man with a big heart. Many gathered Tuesday evening to pray, shocked at what happened to the man they thought they knew. 
 
 A former employee entered the UPS facility in Birmingham's Inglenook area Tuesday morning and shot two people before turning the gun on himself. Police have not publicly named the shooter, but law enforcement, family and church sources identified him as Tesney, a 45-year-old married father of two who lived in Argo. 
 
 At Tesney's church, Northpark Baptist Church in Trussville, people who knew him came together Tuesday evening to pray. 
 
 "Those who knew him are just as shocked as anybody else," Executive Pastor John Herring said. 
 
 Herring said Tesney was a family man who was active in the church. He had been going to Northpark for about 10 years, he said. 
 
 "We really struggle with the whole thing," Herring said. "Nobody in a thousand years could have imagined him doing something like this." 
 
 John Gibson said he met Tesney in a Sunday school class in 2001. He said Tesney was always helping out at the church. At one point the church had a ministry program where they would take an ice cream truck around the area and give free ice cream to children in need, and Tesney was very active in that. 
 
 "He loved his family, he loved his girls, he loved his church," Gibson said. "He had a servant heart." 
 
 Herring said he knew Tesney had recently lost his job at UPS, but didn't know of any other troubles he was facing. Tesney was reportedly fired from UPS in the past month and had lost an appeal of the firing. 
 
 The two victims were supervisors at the facility, and police said it appeared at least one was specifically targeted. 
 
 Herring said the church community was also praying for those who knew the two victims and for the UPS employees. 
 
 "How do you know what drives a person to do something like this?" he said.
– The man who shot and killed two former colleagues and himself at an Alabama UPS facility had "asked for prayer" amid a "troubled" period in his life, a pastor at his church tells the AP, adding, "He's just a guy who went through his trials at work. Certainly we have prayed for him." Kerry Joe Tesney, 45, of the Birmingham area, had recently been fired from the UPS job and lost an appeal over the matter, AL.com reports. It's not clear why he was fired, but a lawsuit claims that during a pickup at an auto repair shop, he took a radiator that wasn't meant to be shipped and didn't return it. The judge found the case in favor of Tesney in 2013, the site notes. One of the men who was shot appears to have been targeted, while the other may have been a bystander, insiders say; both were supervisors. People who knew Tesney, who was married with two kids, are stunned: "He was one of the best men I have ever known," says his mother-in-law. "Nobody in a thousand years could have imagined him doing something like this," another pastor at the church tells AL.com. Another friend recalled Tesney's involvement in a program providing free ice cream for underprivileged kids: "He had a servant heart."