At least three people were killed and several others were wounded when a gunman shot multiple people inside manufacturing plant in West Maryland on Thursday. The gunman was also injured during the confrontation with a police trooper. The gunman is in the hospital but his health condition is not revealed so far.
The incident took place nearly seven miles from Hagerstown, Maryland.
Suspect is No Longer A Threat
The suspect is no longer a threat, revealed Washington County Sheriff's Office after confirming multiple victims at the scene.
Governor Larry Hogan is monitoring the developments and stated that the trooper was also injured in the incident.
Police Officials Swarm The Columbia Machine
Police officials have swarmed the Columbia Machine, the facility where the shooting took place.
The company is working with local law enforcement officials on the situation but failed to confirm whether or not shots were fired at the Maryland location, according to The Sun. The company offers "complete equipment lines to customers in over 100 countries," according to their website.
Maryland Senator Monitoring The Developments
Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Senator, has revealed that he is monitoring the developments in Smithsburg, where agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are responding to assist local officials at the scene.
The shooting site is a remote area and it's located near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border a few miles from Hagerstown.
One Person is Critically Injured
As the reports of the active shooter were received, the Washington County officials rushed to the Columbia School factory around 2:30 PM.
The sheriff's office said that its units immediately responded and located 4 victims, 3 of which were deceased at the scene and one who was critically injured, according to Fox News.
Due to the shooting, a local community hospital was also placed on lockdown at 3:50 p.m.
Meritus Medical Center in its Facebook post stated that the "center is on lockdown as of 3:50 p.m., Thursday due to a community emergency. That means no patients, visitors or staff may leave at this time, and we are only allowing patients experiencing a medical emergency."
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