A gunman opens fire at a Maryland facility - Three people were killed and two injured, including a state trooper, in a shooting in Smithsburg, Maryland, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said. The suspect, identified by officials as a male, was also wounded.
Authorities responded to a reported shooting at Columbia Machine Inc. at around 2:30 p.m., on June 09, 2022, the sheriff's office said in a statement on Facebook. Upon arrival, they found three people dead and one in critical condition.
The suspect, who had fled the scene, was located by Maryland State Police. The suspect and a trooper exchanged fire and both were taken to a hospital with injuries, according to the sheriff's office.
The deadly 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 have passed several bills aimed at gun reform but the measures have little chance of passing in the Senate. Washington County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Carly Hose said the suspect was a man, but she didn't yet know other details about the shooting, like whether the shooter was an employee of Columbia Machine. Columbia Machine is a manufacturer of concrete products equipment, according to their website.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office in Baltimore and the FBI each said agents are assisting the sheriff's office with the incident.