Emcore workers speak about the tragedy

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Four Emcore employees sat down on Thursday to tell their stories of the shooting rampage at the fiber optics and solar company.

Police said Robert Reza walked up and shot Sharon Cunningham, his ex-girlfriend Adrienne Basciano and Michele Turner outside the Emcore building on July 12. Employees, for the first time, described what happened after Reza shot his way into the building.

Silvia Gentile was staring out the CEO's office window when she suddenly heard a "pop."

"The next two pops, I see Adrienne Basciano going down, hitting the pavement," said Gentile.

There was just seconds to react to the chaos.

Gentile ran down the hall, alerting others by yelling there was a shooter and they needed to get out of the building.

Just 10-feet away, Marilyn Smith and a co-worker were in another office.

"We heard Silvia yelling and screaming, 'He's shooting,'" said Smith. "She said 'Get out. Get out.'"

The other woman's back was to the window, and Smith made a split decision that saved their lives.

"I just pushed her down," said Smith. "I didn't know I did it, but I pushed her down and I hit the floor."

Stray bullets shattered the glass. Some pieces hit Smith in the face. The two women ran and alerted more people.

By that point, Gentile was at the end of the hall where Chris Wiggans and two other co-workers were in the conference room. He was already on the phone with 911 after hearing Gentile yelling.

"One of my colleagues said, 'What [do] we do if he comes in here?'" said Wiggans.

From where he was hiding under a table, Wiggans saw Dixie Colvin get shot in the legs.

"[Colvin] was on her back, and she was looking at me," said Wiggans. "She wasn't responding to hand signals through the door."

When Wiggans heard the shots stop, he rushed to Colvin's side and tried to stop the bleeding with his bare hands.

After the shots stopped, Gentile gave what ended up being a vital tip to 911.

"I believe I said 'His wife is down,'" said Gentile. "I just thought it was [Basciano's] husband that came to shoot her."

Gentile said Basciano had told her she was scared of Reza. Reza killed himself at the end of the shooting rampage.

"My peace is that [Reza] is dead," said Gentile.

The co-workers agreed. Gentile's warning saved a lot of lives. Colvin and two others have all been released from the hospital. Adrienne Basciano has been downgraded back to critical condition.