Editorʼs Note: In recent days the Nebraska State Patrol held what was described as the last news conference to report on the earlier incident at the Agrex elevator. The conference was held in another community and this newspaper was not notified in advance. However, the following report was written by the Omaha World-Heraldʼs Paul Hammel. This newspaperʼs web site has a link to a video recording of the actual conference made by KSNB-Television.

A shooting spree launched by a recently fired employee that left three people dead was over in no more than 20 seconds, Nebraska State Patrol officials said Wednesday.

And there was more than one hero in thwarting more death at the Agrex elevator in Superior on Oct. 21, officials said.

One of the victims, Darin Koepke, an employee of the elevator’s owner, threw himself against a door in an attempt to block the shooter from an office containing four management employees.

Koepke, a 53-year-old married father of two daughters from Hadar, was wounded by a shot fired through the door by the gunman, 61-year-old Max Hoskinson, who was quickly shot and disarmed by another employee in the office who had grabbed a shotgun, kept there to deter varmints from the grain bins.

Without question, those “heroic actions” prevented further loss of life, said Patrol Capt. Jeff Roby, who heads up the State Patrol troop stationed in Grand Island.

“There was no doubt there were more means to inflict more harm,” Roby said.

In response to questions from The World-Herald and other media, patrol officials provided more detail into the shooting at the Agrex elevator during a press conference Wednesday.

Patrol officials said while no criminal charges are anticipated, the investigation is continuing. They added a surveillance video of the incident was obtained by investigators, but it would be up to the Nuckolls County Attorney if it will be released to the public.

Roby and Lt. Brent Bockstadter gave the following account of what happened on Oct. 21:

At about 1 p.m., two Agrex managers met with Hoskinson to inform him he was being fired. Hoskinson, who had worked as a grain buyer for the company for at least five years, then left the office building, per company policy, on what appeared to be “cordial terms.”

About 15 minutes later, however, Hoskinson returned, walking through the building to his former office in a back corner. Employees who saw him enter were not alarmed because they were not aware that Hoskinson had been fired.