A gunman opened fire on his co-workers at a manufacturing facility in northern Maryland on Thursday, killing at least three people and critically wounding a fourth before being taken into custody after a shootout with police.
The 23-year-old assailant, who was not identified by police, was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a Maryland state trooper while trying to flee in a car, Washington County Sheriff Douglas Mullendore told a news conference.
Both the suspect and trooper were taken to a local hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds in the latest in a series of mass shootings to plague the United States.
Mullendore declined to elaborate on the circumstances or possible motives behind the attack but said the gunman and all of his victims were employees of Columbia Machine in Smithsburg, in northern Maryland near the Pennsylvania state line.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said that the shooting unfolded at around 2.30pm on Thursday afternoon at the Columbia Machine in Smithsburg, around 75 miles from the city of Baltimore.
Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to Columbia Machine Inc., 12912 Bikle Road, Smithsburg, MD, for reports of an active shooter. The office that units immediately responded and located four victims, three of which were deceased at the scene and one who was critically injured.
The suspect fled the scene prior to Law Enforcement’s arrival. The description was released to additional responding units and the suspect vehicle was encountered by Maryland State Police in the area of Maplesville Road and Mount Aetna Road.
The deceased victims were identified as Mark Alan Frey, 50; Charles Edward Minnick Jr., 31, and Joshua Robert Wallace, 30, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
The fourth victim who was injured was identified as 42-year-old Brandon Chase Michael.
The suspect, whom authorities said was a 23-year-old Hispanic man who lives in West Virginia, remains in custody, and his identity will not be released until charges are filed.
Maryland State Police said the injured trooper is a 25-year veteran of the department assigned to the Criminal Enforcement Division Western Region, and that he’s not being identified at this time. He was transported to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, where he was treated and released, state police said.
The fatal incident is the 254th mass shooting this year, as the country is on pace to match or surpass last year’s total, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It comes as the US House of Representatives has passed several bills aimed at gun reform. Those measures have little chance of passing in the Senate.
The victims and Esquivel were employees of Columbia Machine, Mullendore said. The company makes concrete products equipment, according to its website.
The wounded state trooper, who is a 25-year veteran of the agency, was treated for his injuries and released, according to an update from MSP. Esquivel was also wounded after at least one of the troopers who responded to the scene returned fire and struck him. He was still being treated Thursday evening, police said.
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