A Chicago company is disputing what police initially said fueled a workplace shooting that left the company’s CEO critically injured and a gunman dead in the Loop last week.
“Contrary to erroneous reports, we have not been reducing our workforce or downsizing in any way,” ArrowStream said in a statement.
The company says the months before the tragedy were “exciting ones for ArrowStream.”
“We signed multiple new customers, expanded our sales capability, re-aligned our customer support organization, and developed a product roadmap that will bring dramatic new capabilities to our customers in the near future,” the company said.
The statement comes after Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy told reporters that a recently demoted employee opened fire at CEO Steven LaVoie during a meeting in the 17th-floor office.
"What we have here is a workplace violence issue,” he said at the time. “Apparently there's a technological company on the 17th floor. They've been undergoing a downsizing. They've demoted a number of people."
Police responded to shots fired at 9:50 a.m. at 231 S. LaSalle on the 17th floor, listed as the old Bank of America Trade Operations Building. They found a 54-year-old victim, identified as ArrowStream CEO Steven LaVoie, injured with gunshot wounds to his stomach and his head and the 60-year-old gunman deceased with a gunshot wound to the head.
The shooter was identified by the medical examiner as Anthony DeFrances of Barrington.
According to a profile on arrowstream.com, LaVoie founded the company, which provides supply chain management solutions for the food service industry, in 2000.
DeFrances is listed on the company's website as ArrowStream's chief technology officer, with the company "virtually since its inception."
LaVoie and DeFrances were lying unresponsive on the floor of an office when police arrived. Supt. Garry McCarthy said the victim is in "grave condition."
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Police said the gunman's wounds were self-inflicted. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
“In the aftermath of this incident, ArrowStream is caring for its employees and the family and friends of those involved. This has been a difficult time, and the support of our customers and business partners,” ArrowStream said in a statement. “If you were to walk through our office this week, you would see an ArrowStream family coming together, supporting one another, but also, remarkably, you would see a team even more energized to continue the work that Steven and Jody started.
