3 Killed, 1 Hurt in Shooting at Maryland Manufacturing Plant, Trooper Injured in Shootout
Image credit Associated Press
A shooter opened fire at Columbia Machine, Inc. in Smithsburg, Maryland.
Three men died and another was wounded when a gunman opened fire at the manufacturing facility where he worked in western Maryland Thursday afternoon. A state trooper was injured in a shootout with the suspect.
Mark Alan Frey, 50, Charles Edward Minnick, 31, and Joshua Robert Wallace, 30, were all killed in the shooting at Columbia Machine, Inc.on Bikle Road in Smithsburg, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
Brandon Chase Michael, 42, was critically injured and remains hospitalized.
A short time after the shooting, about five or so miles south of the plant, a Maryland state trooper got into a shootout with the suspect on Mapleville Road, the sheriff’s office said.
The trooper suffered a minor injury and the suspect was also injured and taken to a hospital.
The shooter, who authorities said is a 23-year-old man from West Virginia, remained hospitalized late Thursday. He has not yet been charged.
He used a semi-automatic handgun to carry out the attack, according to the sheriff’s office. The suspect’s motive for the shooting is still unclear.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is handling the original scene, and Maryland State Police is handling the second scene.
“I’m devastated by the lives taken today in Smithsburg and for the pain and suffering their loved ones are experiencing,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said in a statement.
“As we learn more about the shooting today, my thoughts are with the employees of Columbia Machine, the Smithsburg community, and all of those grieving,” he added. “I am committed to meeting your pain with action.”
By Gina Cook and Carissa DiMargo •
