Employee at Boehringer Ingelheim charged with shooting up Athens manufacturing plant

An employee who was being administratively disciplined at one of Athens largest medical manufacturing facilities is in jail on charges that he unloaded a barrage of gunfire on the facility on New Year’s Day.

Athens-Clarke police charged Zachariah Martin Best, 27, with trespassing and felony damage to property after police said the shooting caused an estimated $12,800 in damage. No one was injured in the shooting, which occurred about 5:30 a.m. at Boehringer Ingelheim on Olympic Drive.

Best provided police an address on Gaines School Road in Athens. However, at the jail he also provided an address in Martinez, Georgia near Augusta.

The plant manufactures animal health products including vaccines that are sold throughout the world, according to its website. The site reports that about 440 people are employed at the Athens plant, which is currently being enlarged.

Police were summoned to the facility shortly before noon Monday when a construction superintendent found numerous bullet holes in the new construction area. Numerous windows were shot along with doors and walls, according to the report.

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Police examined the roadway from where they believed the suspect fired his gun and recovered 17 shell casings.

Security video revealed a black Toyota Tacoma arrive and a man attempt to scan his way through the entrance gate, but his code was declined and he was denied access, police said. However, the scan attempt aided police in identifying the shooter as Best, according to the report.

The officer said it was explained to him that Best was on administrative leave, but facility security was uncertain about the details except that it was for work-related reasons. Best allegedly made comments at the workplace that made other employees feel uncomfortable enough to report what they heard, according to the report.

The officer reported he attempted to locate Best that day, but was unable to find him. Jail records show he was arrested on Tuesday. He remains in jail pending a bond hearing in Athens-Clarke County Magistrate’s Court.

On his LinkedIn page, Best noted that he graduated the University of Georgia College of Engineering and that he was employed as a planner at Boehringer Ingelheim.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Employee at Athens vaccine plant charged in gun attack on the building