Enfield Grad Remembered On 10th Anniversary of Workplace Shooting

ENFIELD, CT — Fresh off an annual week at the beach in Westerly, Rhode Island, with his girlfriend Stephanie and her three kids, Bill Ackerman went to work on the morning of Aug. 3, 2010, as he had done for nearly 20 years at Hartford Distributors in Manchester. Unfortunately, the 51-year-old former 3-sport athlete at Enfield High School never made it home, as he and seven other colleagues were gunned down by a co-worker who had been fired moments earlier.

Monday morning marked the 10th anniversary of Connecticut's deadliest workplace shooting, and Hartford Distributors briefly observed a solemn eight seconds of silence at 7:21 a.m., in memory of the eight employees slain that day.

The final line of Ackerman's obituary read, "He was special, sensitive and for a big guy, he was one of a kind and had a big heart." A number of friends and former coaches were expressing similar sentiments a decade after his tragic passing.

The 6-foot, 250-pounder graduated from Enfield in 1977, serving as tri-captain of the football team and co-captain of the ice hockey squad. He also was a catcher/first baseman on the baseball team.

Joe Bacewicz, a member of the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame, took over as head football coach of the Raiders prior to Ackerman's senior season.

"I remember Bill as a hard-nosed football player who loved the game and his teammates," Bacewicz said. "He was the type of player that any coach would want and earned the respect of his coaches and fellow players. He turned into the type of man who would do anything for his family and friends and is truly missed."

"Bill Ackerman played ice hockey early in my coaching career at Enfield," Hall of Fame ice hockey coach Phil Clarkin said. "He was a very physical old style defenseman. Bill was very protective of his teammates when on the ice. If someone on the opposing team took liberties on another skater or goaltender, his teammates knew that Bill would even the score before the game was over. As a result of his aggressive play, he was somewhat penalty prone. One thing he totally disliked was the requirement to wear facemasks, which I believe was instituted during his senior year. He was very respected by his teammates and totally disliked by our opponents. His tragic death was a loss that the Enfield hockey program will never understand or forget."

"Bill was a real tough competitor who wanted to win, a good ballplayer and a hard worker," former Raider baseball coach Bob Bromage said. "I enjoyed him, and I wish at that time I had more players like him."

Steve Testoni, who played against Ackerman for crosstown rival Fermi High School, became a lifetime friend.

"Ackerman and I were crosstown rivals on the football field," Testoni said. "We were both known for being tough kids on and off the field. During our senior years we knew of each other until Thanksgiving day, and the traditional football rivalry between Fermi and Enfield high schools. We played to the only tie in the history of the game that whoever wins had bragging rights for the next 12 months. After the game we came face to face for the traditional handshake, and we stopped and looked at each other, with helmets off, and smiled. Not sure if the words were said, but they were of mutual respect and we were friends for life. We miss our friend but remember the good times with him."

At the end of the fall 2010 season, the Enfield football program inaugurated the William "Bill" Ackerman Award, presented to the top lineman of the year. Alex Martinez, who is heading to the University of Massachusetts, was the 2019 recipient. The inscription on the plaque reads:

"For consistently displaying athleticism, toughness, dedication, leadership and performing at the top of his skill level on and off the field."

On Facebook, Chris Catalina wrote, "I miss his humor and his unforgettable laugh."

Childhood friend Kyle Martin said, "I grew up with Bill in the neighborhood on the corner of Donna and Bon streets off Raffia Road where we lived across from each other. Like a lot of his friends, I have many great memories from growing up with him and around him as he was three years older than me, the same age of my older brother. The three families on that corner all had a few kids so it was usually a busy place to be. Between the everyday "kids stuff" through the team sports at JFK and then EHS, Bill was always the one you could count on and look up to."

High school classmate Mark Sullivan wrote, "The loss of my friend continues to be a question with no justice, no reason, no answer. I miss him every single day. All of us will experience loss, but the brutality of gun violence persists to this very day. To lose anyone is heartbreaking, but murder via a gun is brutal, violent and not always instantaneous. Billy was shot three times, the first two were survivable. That means he was cognizant of what was happening. Terror had to be his last thought. Unimaginable. My only hope is people could take just one minute of their lives to walk in the shoes of those who’ve lost a loved one to gun violence. It’s life changing. Raise a glass at some point today for Billy. Cheers."

A fitting summary of Ackerman's character came two days after the tragedy, in a statement about each of the slain men from Ross Hollander, president of Hartford Distributors.

"What do you say about Bill? Well, if I was hanging off a cliff on a rope, I want Bill at the other end of that rope."

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