At least three people have been shot dead and a state trooper has suffered minor injuries following a mass shooting inside a Maryland factory, the governor has confirmed.
The shooting took place inside the Columbia Machine Shop, an engineer manufacturing factory which creates concrete products and molds, located on Bikle Road in Smithsburg.
Larry Hogan, governor of Maryland, confirmed that three people had been killed.
The gunman is alive and in custody, NBC News reported.
The gunman’s red car was seen in NBC’s helicopter footage five miles from the scene, with the windscreen shattered by bullet holes. A state trooper’s vehicle blocked the car on the road.
‘The suspect is no longer a threat to the community,’ the Washington County sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The gunman’s red car, with its door left open and markers on the ground, is pictured on Thursday afternoon blocked by a state trooper, five miles from the factory shooting
Emergency personnel at the scene of the shooting in Smithsburg where police confirmed up to three people were shot dead on Thursday
The shooting reportedly took place inside a Columbia Machine Shop, an engineer manufacturing factory located on Bikle Road (pictured). The company has factories worldwide – from India, Poland, New Zealand and Canada – but its headquarters are in Vancouver, Washington
They confirmed there are ‘multiple fatalities.’
Sgt. Carly Hose, a spokesperson for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, said she was not yet able to release the name or age of the suspect, but said the suspect is male.
She did not have information on what type of gun the suspect had.
Authorities said that a Maryland state trooper suffered a minor injury after a confrontation with the shooter.
Highway officials closed down all lanes of Maryland Route 66.
The scene outside Columbia Machine Shop in Smithsburg as local authorities investigate a shooting
Baltimore’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office confirmed in a tweet their agents were assisting local authorities at the scene.
‘ATF Special Agents are responding to assist our partners in the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with a shooting incident in Smithsburg, MD where there are multiple victims,’ the agency tweeted.
On Thursday afternoon Democratic Congressman David Trone said that a ‘mass shooting’ took place and asked locals to stay away from the scene.
The Congressional Research Service defines mass shootings as multiple, firearm, homicide incidents, involving four or more deceased victims at one or more locations close to one another.
‘We are actively monitoring the mass shooting in Smithsburg right now, and our office is in contact with officials on the ground,’ Trone tweeted.
‘If you’re local, please stay away from the area as law enforcement responds.’
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At least three people dead, state trooper is injured after shooting at Maryland business: report
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