Maryland gunman Radee Prince gathered colleagues for a meeting before opening fire

The gunman who shot dead three people in Marylandon Wednesday (18 October) gathered his colleagues for a meeting before opening fire.

Radee Prince, 37, told his colleagues at the kitchen countertop business "come with me, I want to say something to everybody", a witness to the shooting told The Associated Press (AP).

Prince opened fire as soon as five colleagues were gathered around him, the witness continued. Prince then drove to Wilmington, Delaware, and shot an acquaintance in the head at a car park. Two people who were shot survived but are in a critical condition.

"He talked to me first," said the man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Then I saw him talk to another friend. Nobody listened to him, because his reaction was to start a fight."

The employee said Prince had angrily approached him a month ago and accused him of gossip. Prince had a history of violence against his colleagues, according to court documents. He had been fired from another job in Maryland earlier this year after allegedly punching a coworker.

His former boss at JPS Marble and Granite, Philip Siason, told the court that Prince's behaviour was so threatening at work that he tried to get a restraining order.

"He came to see me, cursed and yelled at me about unemployment benefits. I felt very threatened because he is a big guy and very aggressive on me," he said.

In recent months, Prince had behaved increasingly aggressively towards his colleagues at his new job, the witness told AP.

Wilmington police chief Robert Tracy said Prince knew all of his victims and that his attack was targeted.

"This is a person with no conscience," Tracy said. "I even get chills talking about it because I know what it's like when we do hunt individuals that are desperate," he added.

After a 10-hour manhunt, Prince was arrested by police and charged with murder, attempted murder, assault and use of a firearm to commit a felony. He pleaded not guilty on Thursday (19 October).