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Police identify Apple employee who shot himself on campus

Elizabeth Weise, and Marco della Cava
USA TODAY
The exterior of Apple headquarters is seen before an event to announce new products at the company's headquarters on March 21, 2016, in Cupertino, Calif.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — A 25-year-old Apple employee took his own life on the company's campus Wednesday.

On Thursday, Santa Clara County Sheriff's office identified the man as Edward Thomas Mackowiak. According to a police statement, Mackowiak shot himself in the head.

"When deputies arrived they found a male subject down and determined he was deceased," Sgt. Andrea Urena, the sheriff's department public information officer, said in a statement. "After further investigation it appeared there was no foul play and no other individuals were involved. This appeared to be an isolated incident and no employees or members of the public were at risk."

Although Apple did not issue any statements Wednesday, on Thursday a spokesperson told a reporter from ABC7, “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of a young and talented coworker. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends, including the many people he worked with here at Apple. We are working to support them however we can in this difficult time.”

At Apple's headquarters Wednesday, a Santa Clara Sheriff's vehicle was parked in front of 1 Infinite Loop. Reporters were asked to stage at a restaurant across a wide street from the tech company's suite of buildings.

There was no evidence of yellow police tape outside the buildings, and the atmosphere seemed normal as employees headed out for lunch. The on-campus Apple Store, which is a frequent stop for tourists, was open.

Earlier, a police scanner recording found online includes a dispatcher saying that a person at the Apple campus was bleeding with a head wound. “Looks like security was escorting the employee down,” the dispatcher said. The dispatcher goes on to say that Apple was advising law enforcement that there was a body in one of its conference rooms.

Apple's iPhone-driven bull run may be over

It is unclear how Mackowiak managed to get a gun inside the building. Like many technology companies, Apple has an elaborate security system that prevents non-employees from accessing the large campus.

Visitors must check in at reception desks and acquire badges before being let inside; often a company escort is sent to meet the visitor. Most visitors to the Apple campus never get beyond the company's gadget-packed store. Even when reporters are invited for events, such as the recent unveiling of the new iPhone SE, they are limited to a building or two and are kept under a watchful eye by uniformed staffers for the duration of the event.

While incidents of workplace violence have flared time and again across the country, it is unusual for them to happen at Silicon Valley tech companies.

In 2008, semiconductor engineer Jing Hua Wu killed three of his bosses in retaliation for being fired. In 2010, 18 Chinese workers at Foxconn – which makes and inspected glass for Apple iPhones  – attempted suicide largely due to oppressive working conditions. Of those, 14 succeeded in taking their own lives.

Wednesday's incident comes one day after the iconic tech company announced second-quarter results that missed on revenue and earnings due largely to a 16% year-over-year drop in iPhone sales. Apple stock plummeted 8% in after-hours trading Tuesday and was down 6% to $97.86 in midday trading Wednesday.

Contributing: Jessica Guynn and Jon Swartz

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