Aurora victim's dad: 'My son died trying to set it straight'

Russell Beyer had a "big heart" and tried his best to make his office a better place, his dad said.

That's why the 20-year mold operator and union chairman from Yorkville sat in on a termination meeting Friday afternoon at the Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora.

The meeting started with Gary Montez Martin -- whose job Beyer already had helped win back two months earlier -- getting fired for the second time.

It ended with the man killing almost everyone in the room, including Beyer, authorities said.

"He was a hard worker, just like I was," said his father Ted Beyer. "I loved him … We were close. He was my first kid."

Read more at chicago.suntimes.com.