Brother says suspect in Neb. storage shooting was ‘good kid’ who fled war in Sudan with family

Neb. shooting suspect was Sudanese war refugee

CRETE, Neb. — The 26-year-old man who authorities say shot three co-workers at a Nebraska cold-storage plant before killing himself was “a good kid” who had fled the war in Sudan with his family, his brother said Friday.

John Bol said he left Sudan first, and then his brother, Akouch Kashoual, fled to Egypt with other members of their family. From Egypt, Kashoual moved to Buffalo, N.Y., around 2003, and came to Nebraska about a year later, Bol said.

The 42-year-old Omaha resident said he didn’t know of any problems his brother was having at the Americold Logistics plant in Crete and thought the motive for the shootings would be found by talking with surviving workers there.

“He’s a good kid,” Bol said of his brother. “If you want to know what happened, go back to where he worked. These are the people responsible for what happened.

“I know my brother. There was no problem with him.”

Kashoual didn’t drink or smoke and lived in a Lincoln apartment with his their mother, Bol said. He didn’t know where his brother would have gotten a handgun.

Their family was trying to determine whether to bury Kashoual in Nebraska or in his homeland of Sudan, Bol said.

Saline County Attorney Tad Eickman said Friday that investigators were still trying to determine why Kashoual went on a shooting rampage, and an autopsy was being conducted on his body.

Eickman said investigators included in their file a printout of Kashoual’s Facebook page, in which the last posting made just hours before the shooting declared, “Life is unfair it doesn’t matter whatever you do to make things right. So tell me what to do to keep living in this world of ours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Several messages left for officials with Americold and the United Food and Commercial Workers local that represents Americold workers were not returned.

Saline County Sheriff Alan Moore also did not return messages. A woman who answered the phone at his office said he was out interviewing witnesses.

The three people wounded all work at the plant and live in Crete.

The most seriously wounded, 40-year-old Elizabeth Canas, was taken by helicopter about 30 miles from Crete to Lincoln late Wednesday night with 11 gunshot wounds to her torso and right arm. She under went hours of surgery to repair injuries to her liver, spleen, colon, diaphragm, kidney and arm. She was still listed in critical condition by midday Friday, but is expected to make a full recovery, a hospital spokeswoman said.

A second victim, 23-year-old Renee Villareal, was shot four times and had surgery. He was released from the hospital Thursday afternoon.

A third victim, 42-year-old Paul Rivera, was treated at a Crete hospital and released Thursday.