DIXON, Ky. (AP) -- Some in the hometown of a man who opened fire at a plastics plant described him as a "good kid," while others called him a troublemaker and said Thursday that they weren't surprised when he killed himself and five others.

Wesley N. Higdon was prone to retreating inward during long walks around this rural town about 120 miles west of Louisville, said Ann Rigdon, 31, of Dixon, who knew Higdon in high school and called him "weird."

Police said Higdon, 25, shot his supervisor outside the plant in nearby Henderson early Wednesday after an argument, then went inside and shot and killed four others before turning the gun on himself. A sixth shooting victim survived.

"He was kind of a loner - and if he hung out with people, they were nothing but trouble," Rigdon said.

The shooting occurred hours after an argument with his supervisor so riled Higdon that he called his girlfriend late Tuesday and told her that he wanted to kill his boss, according to police. The girlfriend didn't warn anyone, police said, and Higdon returned to the plant and began shooting.

Teresa Solano Ventura, 20, said Higdon threatened to kill himself Tuesday while they were on the phone, but he had made such threats before and she didn't believe him.

Ventura found out he was dead early Wednesday morning when she turned on the news. "I cried," she told reporters outside the apartment in Henderson, Ky., she shared with Higdon.

Not all were surprised by the shootings, including Rhonda Carter, 27, who knew Higdon from school.

"He was the kind that got in trouble all the time. He was always mischievous. He was kind of weird. When they said he was the shooter, I was not shocked," said Carter, who works for a cleaning service in Dixon.

Henderson County Coroner Bruce Farmer identified Higdon's supervisor as Kevin G. Taylor, 30, of Dixon. The other slain co-workers were Trisha Mirelez, 25, Rachael Vasquez, 26, and Joshua Hinojosa, 28, all of Sebree; and Israel Monroy, 29, of Henderson. The hospitalized survivor was identified as Monroy's sister, Noelia Monroy.

She was listed in good condition Thursday at St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center in Evansville, Ind., hospital spokeswoman Cheryl Dauble said.

The plastics plant was closed after the shootings, but reopened for limited production Wednesday night, said plant manager Dean Jorgensen. A telephone message seeking further comment at the plant wasn't immediately returned Thursday.

The families of four of the victims spent Thursday at Townsend Funeral Home in Sebree, Ky., preparing for weekend memorial services and declined interviews, said the Rev. Jason McClure, several of the victims' pastor.

The killings stunned the Ohio River town of about 28,000 people, where a local leader said many residents know or are related to a worker at the plant. The plant, operated by Atlanta-based Atlantis Plastics, employs about 160 people and makes parts for refrigerators and plastic siding for homes.

Police said Higdon was arrested once for marijuana possession and again for driving while drunk, but never for anything violent.

Maxine Duncan knew Higdon as a boy when he was friends with her grandson and never imagined him capable of such a horrendous attack.

"He was a good kid. I never saw him do a thing," Duncan said. "I never would have thought of him doing something like that."

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