SMITHSBURG, Md. (AP) — A shooting at a business in western Maryland Thursday has claimed the lives of three people and left three others injured. The male suspect is one of the three people injured.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting took place just after 2:30 p.m. at Columbia Machine in Smithsburg, about 75 miles west of Baltimore. During a news conference Thursday afternoon, Sgt. Carly Hose told reporters there was no information immediately available on the victim’s identities or whether they were employees.
Following the shooting, the suspect fled the area but was quickly found by Maryland State Police a few roads down from the scene, Hose said. A state trooper and the suspect shot at each other, leaving both injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The suspect is no longer a threat to the community, officials said.
U.S. Rep. David Trone, a Maryland Democrat, tweeted that his office was in contact with authorities in the area and actively monitoring the shooting in Smithsburg. News photographs showed a large law enforcement presence, including emergency vehicles at the scene.