Until he disappeared one month ago, Francisco Martin Duran betrayed little hint of violence as he worked upholstering furniture for The Broadmoor, a luxury hotel and golf resort in Colorado.
"We had no problems with him," says Steve Bartolin, president of the resort. "Nobody remembered any remark that was revealing. His department head said he was a quiet fellow, kept to himself."
Duran is equally quiet and his demeanor "completely flat," according to the Secret Service, as he is held in the Washington, D.C. jail, charged with firing 20 to 30 rounds from a Chinese-made semi-automatic weapon at the White House's north front.
He provided no clue to his motives.
Duran, 26, who is to be arraigned today, did have a troubled past. But it was unknown to his employer, neighbors and apparently the gun dealer who sold him the weapon.
He spent 2 1/2 years of a five-year sentence in the Army prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., after pleading guilty in 1991 to charges of aggravated assault with a vehicle, drunk and disorderly conduct, drunken driving, and leaving the scene of an accident.
He was dishonorably discharged in September 1993.
Found Saturday in his pickup was a cryptic note suggesting Duran thought he might not survive. Authorities said the note contained no threat against Clinton but outlined how he wanted his affairs handled if he died.
Duran lived on Albion Street in a quiet neighborhood of Security, Colo., outside Colorado Springs with his wife Ingrid and their two children, 5-year-old twins Alex and Corrine. Neighbors said they had moved in about a year ago.
She reported him missing on Oct. 1, telling the El Paso County Sheriff's Department that he left home the day before to pick up materials for target practice and never returned.
"Other than this missing persons report, until yesterday we never knew Mr. Duran existed," says Sgt. Dean Kelsey of the sheriff's department.
Duran began work Feb. 23 at The Broadmoor, a resort and spa with 550 rooms, three golf courses and 1,200 employees.
He was a competent upholsterer with some experience, Bartolin said, earning between $8 and $10 per hour: "His department head said he did a respectable job."
Duran failed to show up for work on Sept. 30, and several days later his wife telephoned to say she didn't think he was coming back. The Broadmoor then fired him.
The resort was unaware of Duran's criminal record; the Army conviction did not turn up in a background check, Bartolin said.
Federal authorities were also investigating how he was able to purchase the weapon, since his criminal record disqualified him from possessing firearms. But he would have to reveal that record himself to the gun dealer, since the federal Brady law requiring background checks for gun purchases applies to handguns, not longer weapons.
There was no answer to the phone at Duran's home Sunday. Authorities said his family was at a relative's.
At the home, Halloween decorations hung from windows, according to The Associated Press. In the garage, a large U.S. flag was tacked upside down, a signal of distress within the military and protest outside it.
Neighbors told reporters they had often seen Duran wearing Army camouflage fatigues in his yard. He had served with the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii.
Duran's 1989 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck, parked near the White House, sported bumper stickers with pro-gun slogans including "Those who beat their guns into plows will plow for those who don't," and "Fire Butch Reno," an apparent reference to Attorney General Janet Reno.
