Two people were seriously injured in a shooting at an industrial park in Frederick, Md. On Tuesday before the suspect was fatally shot at a nearby military facility, police said.
The suspect, identified as a 38-year-old naval medic, walked into a Riverside Tech Park business and some people fled, but it was not immediately clear whether the shooting took place inside or outside. outside the company, Police Chief Jason Lando said. .
The suspect then proceeded to Fort Detrick, about four miles from the scene, Lando said.
“Fort Detrick Police have neutralized an active shooting situation involving an armed shooter and medical rescue procedures have been initiated,” the Army facility said on its Twitter feed. “The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The Navy described the gunman as a member of the Navy Hospital Corps. Fort Detrick is home to the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, the Army Institute for Infectious Disease Medical Research and a National Cancer Institute campus.
Lando, who became chief a month ago, said the victims were airlifted to a trauma center in Baltimore. He said there was only one shooter and “the public is no longer in danger. Everyone is safe”.
The shooting comes after a series of deadly shootings across the country in recent weeks, including a rampage last week at an office building in California that left four people dead.
“It’s very tragic and it happens too often,” Lando said. “Every time we turn on the television, we see it happening. And now it’s happening in our backyard.
Jeremy Mutschler, director of marketing for Nicolock Paving Stones, said the filming apparently took place near the company’s location in Frederick, but not at the company itself.
“One of the victims who was injured came into our facility to seek help and we were able to help and call the authorities,” Mutschler, who is based in New York, told The Associated Press.
Maryland State Police also responded, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Baltimore said its officers and a K-9 team were at the scene of this. which ATF described as a “critical incident”.
Gov. Larry Hogan has been briefed on the situation, his office said.
Previously, police posted on social media that officers were “at the scene of an active shooter. The suspect is down. There are two victims whose status is unknown.”
Frederick Community College briefly locked out, tweeting that “this is not an exercise.” But later, the college said students and staff could resume normal activities: “The incident has been contained. There is no threat on the FCC campus.
Some public schools in Frederick County were also briefly closed “due to police activity in the area,” the administration said. “All students and staff are safe. The lockout has been lifted.”
Frederick is a town of about 70,000 people about 50 miles northwest of Washington, DC