SMITHSBURG, Md. (AP) — A shooting at a business in western Maryland left multiple victims Thursday and a state trooper was wounded in an exchange of gunfire while pursuing the suspect, Gov. Larry Hogan said.
Hogan said he didn’t have all the facts immediately from a briefing with law enforcement but said the suspect shot the state trooper in the shoulder, who then returned fire. He said he didn’t know the status of the shooting suspect after the gunfire.
The shooting occurred at a business in the community of Smithsburg, Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Carly Hose said earlier by telephone.
The sheriff’s office said it would release information as it was able, saying in a brief statement that the incident was rapidly evolving. It declined to elaborate on the exact number of victims or the extent of victims’ injuries, although Hogan had said there were potentially three fatalities.
The address given by authorities for the shooting corresponded to a manufacturing facility.
U.S. Rep. David Trone, a Maryland Democrat, tweeted that his office was in contact with authorities in the area and actively monitoring the situation in Smithsburg. News photographs showed a large law enforcement presence, including emergency vehicles at the scene.
Smithsburg, a community of nearly 3,000 people, is located about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Baltimore not far from the Maryland line with Pennsylvania.
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