For the last two years, Arthur Daniels has relocated and installed office furniture in federal government buildings around the region. On Monday, he went to work inside Washington Navy Yard. His family and co-workers say they wish he was anywhere but there. That’s where he spotted a gunman running down the hallway of building 197, according to witnesses at the scene. He and a colleague started running. They arrived at an elevator and frantically pushed the button to get it to open. The gunmen shot Daniels in the back, the witness said. “It was totally surreal,” said the witness, who worked with Daniels. “When Arthur was shot, he fell over immediately.” Daniels name was not among the first seven identified by authorities, but family members confirmed his death Monday night. Daniels, 51, was a sub-contractor working for District Furniture Repair in Arlington. He has had been with the company for two years. His wife Priscilla Daniels wept while recalling how she waited all day to hear news. Late Monday night she got word of his death. “I don’t know why they shot him,” she said of Daniels, who has five children and nine grandchildren. “He was a good father and hard worker.” Family members said Daniels had worked on and off generally for the Navy Yard for over 19 years. Lewis R. Yancey II, who owns District Furniture, said Daniels was “an excellent worker.” “He has this great personality and is always helping others,” Yancey said. “And I have to wonder if he was doing that when he was shot.” Brian Nault, president and co-owner of Blue Water Federal Solutions, a Chantilly-based contracting company that had hired District Furniture, said the wait for news was “heart-wrenching.” The company has 19 employees working at the Navy Yard on a facility management contract. “We are stunned and confused,” said Nault, who was working from Chantilly. “This was obviously a very, very sad day.” Daniels’ son, Arthur Jr., said the family was struggling to “ understand why.” “All he did was go to work,” he said. “That was his only crime.” washingtonpost/local/arthur-daniels-51-identified-as-victim-of-navy-yard-shooting/2013/09/16/731b2dd0-1efc-11e3-94a2-6c66b668ea55_story.html
Posted on: Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:01:46 +0000
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