West Virginia man suspected in deadly Maryland manufacturing facility shooting
(AP) — A West Virginia man accused of fatally shooting three co-workers at a western Maryland machine shop arrived for his normal shift and worked before he left the building to retrieve a weapon, went back inside and fired on employees in the area of a breakroom, authorities said Friday.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, remained under police guard at a hospital Friday, a day after the shooting. Authorities, who have yet to release a motive, said the man's identity won't be made public until he is formally charged.
Officers from the Smithsburg Police Department arrived on the scene at Columbia Machine Inc. first and found an injured victim outside of the business. As deputies arrived, three additional victims, all of whom were deceased, were located inside the business, the Washington County sheriff's office said.
The suspect left the scene in a car and was quickly met by Maryland State Police. A Maryland state trooper injured in a shootout with the suspect was treated and released late Thursday, authorities said.
The 25-year veteran of the Maryland State Police was shot when police said the suspect fired multiple rounds at troopers who tracked him down in western Maryland. At least one trooper returned fire, striking the suspect, state police said.
A search warrant was executed at the suspect's West Virginia residence, and additional firearms were located, the sheriff's office said.
The troopers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative duty while an investigation is conducted.
Washington County Sheriff Doug Mullendore identified those killed in the shooting as Mark Alan Frey, 50, of Hagerstown, Maryland; Charles Edward Minnick Jr., 31, of Smithsburg, Maryland; and Joshua Robert Wallace, 30, of Hagerstown.
Reached by telephone Friday, Nelson Michael, the father of Brandon Michael, 42, who was wounded in the machine shop shooting, said his son was still in the hospital, but he didn't know more about his condition.
"He's surviving," he said. "I'm glad he's alive, but it's going to work on his nerves. I know that."
Nelson Michael said he didn't know why the gunman shot the victims.
"I'm not saying any more. I'm just glad my son's alive, and I feel so bad for the families of the other ones," he said.
The shooting suspect was identified as a 23-year-old man who lives in West Virginia. Authorities said the investigation continues.
Mullendore said the suspect used a semiautomatic handgun, which was recovered after the shootout.
Smithsburg, a community of nearly 3,000 people, is just west of the Camp David presidential retreat and about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Baltimore. The manufacturing facility was in a sparsely populated area northeast of the town's center with a church, several businesses and farmland nearby.
Frey, one of the victims, lived about a half-mile from Dennis Stouffer.
He described Frey as "a solid individual" and "a good guy."
Stouffer said he would see Frey at the mailbox when he drove by. Stouffer said in a phone interview that Frey once made meat hooks for a deer-meat processing shop he used to run in the small rural community of Smithsburg.
"He didn't make a bunch of noise or anything. He just went about his work," Stouffer said.
Speaking late Friday morning, Stouffer said the reason for the shooting remained "a big mystery" to people in the community.
"We're all in shock and disbelief, and that's an understatement," Stouffer said.
As mass shootings continue to fuel debate about gun control around the nation, Stouffer said the Maryland deaths did not change his mind about Second Amendment rights.
"It's most unfortunate, but you always have to be prepared," Stouffer said. "Whether it's church property or your own property or wherever you go, you're not going to prevent criminals from having guns by passing gun-control laws."
Columbia Machine manufactures equipment for concrete products, and its Smithsburg location builds molds and works on parts and repairs for other plants. The company's CEO, Rick Goode, issued a statement calling the deaths of three employees and the wounding of a fourth tragic.
"Our highest priority during this tragic event is the safety and wellbeing of our employees and their families," he said.
