MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The mother and father of Andrew Engeldinger, 36, have confirmed that their son was responsible for the office shooting Thursday at Accent Signage Systems. Engeldinger battled mental illness, family say.

When police searched Engeldinger’s home Thursday night, they found 10,000 rounds of ammunition packaging.

Engeldinger’s neighbors say he was a true loner, rarely engaging in conversation.

Andrew Engeldinger. (credit: Finance & Commerce)

Brian Jorgensen lives next door and was told to go to the basement as police broke in and searched the suspect’s home, not knowing if was booby trapped.

“He kept to himself, came home from work, put the car in the garage and went in the house,” Jorgensen said. “That’s all we saw of him.”

Engeldinger was raised in Richfield and was a 1994 graduate of the Academy of Holy Angels. He’d spent most of his adult life working for Accent Signage. He spent 12 years in his south Minneapolis.

A former co-worker said Engeldinger was withdrawn, noting he never ate lunch or took breaks with fellow employees.

Engeldinger’s parents read a brief statement today, shaken by the horror caused by their son. They tried getting him help, but he resisted and became estranged.

“Our son struggled for years with mental illness,” Charles Engeldinger said. “In the last few years, he no longer had contact with us. This is not an excuse for his actions but sadly may be a partial explanation.”

He added: “Our hearts go out to the families of the people killed and those who were wounded in this tragedy. Nothing we can say will make up for their loss.”

Engeldinger’s former coworker said the man appeared to be stuck in time, wearing the same clothes and hairstyle for years, adding he was confrontational and difficult to work with.