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Father killed in shooting recently lost UNCC job
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Published: October 13, 2009
A father killed in an apparent murder-suicide Sunday in Mooresville worked for UNC Charlotte for more than a decade but lost his computer job Aug. 31 because of state budget cuts, according to authorities and public records.
Douglas Alan Thomas Sr., 57, and his wife Linda M. Thomas, also 57, were killed in a shooting spree that also left their sons in critical condition.
The sons, Douglas Alan Thomas Jr., 28, and Christian Edward Thomas, 25, underwent emergency surgery Sunday at Carolinas Medical Center.
Public records and interviews with neighbors indicate the four family members were living in the same home where the shooting occurred just outside the Mooresville city limits at 130 Peninsula Drive.
Iredell Sheriff's Capt. Darren Campbell said it appears one of the parents died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was likely responsible for the shootings. But he won't say which of the parents they suspect did the shooting, saying he wants to wait until Tuesday for the initial autopsy reports.
UNCC officials said this afternoon that Thomas Sr. worked as a networking specialist in the Department of Information & Technology services but lost his job Aug. 31. He was one of only 15 university employees pushed out by budget cuts and departmental reorganizations.
A state salary database lists Douglas A. Thomas, says he earned an annual salary of $81,070.
An online resume on the Linked-In job networking site shows Thomas graduated from UNC Charlotte and served in the U.S. Army Reserve.
A UNCC donor list includes Linda M. Thomas and Douglas A. Thomas, and notes he's a 1975 graduate.
The family's neighbors in Mooresville said Linda Thomas appeared to be a homemaker.
A UNCC supervisor in the department where Thomas worked said the staff was devastated by the news of his death and the shootings.
"We're all very upset, as you can imagine," said Wendy Nichols, supervisor of the telecommunications department.
The university is on fall break through Tuesday.
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