At least 3 killed after assailant opens fire at Maryland factory

SMITHSBURG, Md. — A shooter opened fire at a manufacturing facility in northern Maryland on Thursday, killing at least three people, state police said.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, opened fire at Columbia Machine Inc's factory in Smithsburg, Maryland. There was no immediate word on a possible motive.

Maryland State Police said that three people had been slain. It was not immediately clear if others were wounded.

"My understanding is there are potentially three people killed," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told reporters. Hogan said a state trooper was struck by a round fired by the shooter.

A Colombia Machine spokesperson said that the company was cooperating with authorities in their probe into the shooting but declined to say how many employees were at the site when the shooting happened.

The company supplies concrete manufacturing equipment to customers in over 100 countries, according to its website.

The Baltimore office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives said on Twitter it was sending agents to the scene in Smithsburg, in northern Maryland near the Pennsylvania state line.

"We are actively monitoring the mass shooting in #Smithsburg right now, and our office is in contact with officials on the ground," U.S. Rep. David Trone of Maryland said on Twitter.

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