A 70-year-old Framingham man took his own life after firing shots at his former boss outside a Charles Street business on the morning of April 7, according to police.

Kermit Hooks Jr., who was recently fired from his job at 58 Charles St., waited in the parking lot of the business for an employee who was involved in his termination, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. Police would not confirm the name of the company where the two worked, and 58 Charles St. is a multi-business building.

Hooks, armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, fired several shots at the 58-year-old victim, who was able to block the shots with his briefcase, according to the DA's Office. The victim sustained minor injuries to his face from shrapnel that ricocheted off a nearby brick building.

"The victim was the intended target. Fortunately, the shooter was a poor shooter," said Jeremy Warnick, director of communications for the Cambridge Police Department.

Hooks’ ex-wife, Bernadette Hooks, told WCVB that no one suspected Hooks could have done something like this.

"It's like we're going to wake up tomorrow, and none of this happened," Bernadette Hooks said, adding that the last time she spoke with him, he seemed happy.

She did say, however, that Hooks was a man who prided himself on being intelligent.

“So I couldn't imagine what would happen if he would have gotten fired from his job," she said.

The victim told WCVB that he wonders if Hooks had been planning the attack ever since he was fired four months ago. And even though he is recovering from his injuries, the victim said his thoughts are with Hooks and his family.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a press conference Thursday afternoon that at least two colleagues attempted to assist the victim during the incident.

"There was no indication the shooter was going to go in the building," Ryan added. "He had been waiting in his car for this particular individual."

Two buildings at 58 Charles St. and 222 Third St. were struck with bullets, Warnick said.

"One of my co-coworkers, who sits right near the window overlooking where the incident took place, said he heard three shots and then a pause and then one more muffled shot," said Stephen Roger, a product strategist at Intrepid Pursuits, a business that connects to 58 Charles St.

Roger said employees of the building were not allowed back into work until police secured the area. The COO and CTO of Intrepid Pursuits sent out an email explaining a shooting had occurred, and followed up with phone calls to make sure employees were safe, Roger said. The building was re-opened around 9:20 a.m.

"Nobody seemed to know [the shooter] or know anything about it, except what we saw here or what we saw on the news,'" Roger told the Chronicle on Thursday afternoon. "It's normally a pretty happy, social office, but today every thing is kind of dampered down."

Framingham police have no record of Hooks receiving a Firearms Identification Card or a License to Carry for his shotgun, according to the department's public information officer, Lt. Stephen Cronin. At minimum, Hooks would need a FID card to carry the shotgun legally, according to Warnick.

WCVB and Cambridge Chronicle reporter, Natalie Handy, contributed to this report.