Deputies found three victims dead at the scene, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Sgt. Carly Hose said at a news conference. Another victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Police vehicles block the road at the scene of a shooting at a Maryland business near Smithsburg, Maryland on Thursday, June 9, 2022. A man opened fire at a manufacturing facility in rural western Maryland on Thursday, killing several people before the suspect and a state trooper were wounded in a shootout, authorities said. (AP Photo/Michael Kunzelman)
AP/Michael Kunzelman
A tactical police officer walks near where a man opened fire on a store, killing three people before the suspect and a state police officer were injured in a shooting, authorities said, in Smithsburg, Md., Thursday, June 9, 2022 The Washington County (Md.) Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that three victims at Columbia Machine Inc. were found dead and a fourth victim was seriously injured. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
AP/Steve Ruark
Law enforcement is working near where a man opened fire on a store, killing three people before the suspect and a state police officer were injured in a shooting, authorities said, in Smithsburg, Md., Thursday, June 9, 2022. The Washington County (Md.) Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that three victims at Columbia Machine Inc. were found dead and a fourth victim was seriously injured. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
AP/Steve Ruark
Police officers process evidence from one of two cars involved in a shooting involving a Maryland State Police officer along Mt. Aetna Road near Smithsburg, Md. on Thursday, June 9, 2022. An employee opened fire at a manufacturing facility in rural western Maryland on Thursday, killing three employees before the suspect and a state police officer were wounded in a shooting, authorities said. (AP Photo/Timothy Jacobsen)
AP/Timothy Jacobsen
Police officers remove evidence from one of two cars involved in a shooting involving a Maryland State Police officer on Thursday, June 9, 2022 near Smithsburg, Md. An employee opened fire at a manufacturing facility in rural western Maryland on Thursday, killing three employees before the suspect and a state police officer were injured in a shooting, authorities said. (AP Photo/Timothy Jacobsen)
AP/Timothy Jacobsen
Police officers gather outside the entrance of Columbia Machine Inc. near Smithsburg, Md. on Thursday, June 9, 2022. An employee opened fire at a manufacturing facility in rural western Maryland on Thursday, killing three employees before the Suspects and a state police officer were wounded in a shootout, authorities said. (AP Photo/Timothy Jacobsen)
AP/Timothy Jacobsen
Police stadiums near the scene of a Columbia Machine, Inc. shooting in Smithsburg, Md., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Tim Jacobsen)
AP/Tim Jacobsen
Three people were killed and another seriously injured in a shootout at a machine shop near Smithsburg, Maryland, on Thursday afternoon.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to reports of an active gunman at Columbia Machine, a manufacturing facility on Block 12900 of Bikle Road, around 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
They found three victims dead at the scene, said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Sgt. Carly Hose at a news conference. Another victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
In a news conference later Thursday night, Washington County Sheriff Douglas Mullendore identified the victims killed as Mark Alan Frey, 50; Charles Edward Minnick Jr., 31; and Joshua Robert Wallace, 30. The injured victim has been identified as Brandon Chase Michael, 42. Mullendore said the victims and suspect worked at the facility.
Mullendore did not identify the suspect but said he was a 23-year-old man residing in West Virginia. The suspect’s name is being withheld while criminal charges are prepared.
A male suspect fled the scene by car before deputies arrived, the sheriff’s office said. A description of the vehicle was circulated to nearby law enforcement agencies, and a Maryland State Police officer encountered him a short time later at a roundabout on Md. Route 66/Maplesville Road and Mount Aetna Road — about 5 miles from the first shooting.
Bill Dofflemyer of the Maryland State Police said three police officers came upon the suspect and when they tried to stop him he immediately started shooting at the police. The soldiers returned fire and in exchange the suspect was hit, as was a soldier.
“We’re still working with the sheriff’s office as to what happened and why it kept escalating,” Dofflemyer told reporters.
Gunshots were heard in eyewitness footage posted on social media. Mullendore said the suspect was using a semi-automatic pistol that was recovered after the shooting. He declined to specify the caliber or model.
Both the police officer and the suspect were taken to a hospital. The Maryland State Police said in a news release late Thursday night that the injured Soldier — a 15-year veteran of the department — was released after receiving treatment.
Rep. David Trone, representing Maryland’s 6th congressional district, tweeted that the incident was a “mass shooting” and urged residents to avoid the scene.
We are actively monitoring the mass shooting in #Smithsburg and our office is in touch with local officials. If you are on site, please stay clear of the area while law enforcement responds.
— Rep. David Trone (@RepDavidTrone) June 9, 2022
US Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, lamented the loss of life in his state so soon after another recent shooting and promised action.
“Today’s horrific shooting comes as our state and nation have faced tragedy after tragedy and it must stop,” he said in a statement. “We must act to address the mass shootings and the daily number of gun violence in our communities.”
Smithsburg, a community of nearly 3,000 people, is west of the Camp David Presidential Palace and about 120 kilometers northwest of Baltimore. The manufacturing facility was in a sparsely populated area northeast of downtown with a church, several shops, and farmland nearby.
Abigail Constantino of WTOP and Associated Press contributed to this report.
Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to share this and other articles.
Receive breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by subscribing here.
© 2022 WTOP. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users within the European Economic Area.
Comments are closed.