Vancouver-based Columbia Machine Inc. expressed condolences in a social media post to those affected by the Thursday shooting at its Maryland manufacturing plant that left three employees dead.
“We are working closely with local authorities while the investigation continues,” CEO Rick Goode wrote in the Facebook statement. “Our highest priority during this tragic event is the safety and well-being of our employees and their families. Our thoughts and prayers are with those that lost family members or were affected by this tragic event.”
Washington County sheriff’s deputies responded at about 2:30 p.m. to the facility near Smithsburg, Md., about 70 miles northwest of Baltimore, for reports of an active shooter. Deputies found three people dead and one person in critical condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspect, who was also an employee at the facility, fled in a vehicle before authorities arrived at the scene and was tracked down by Maryland State Police, according to the sheriff. The suspect and a trooper were wounded in an exchange of gunfire.
