Woman shoots dead 3 at US warehouse, ends life

Aberdeen, September 20 

Three people were killed and three injured when a woman opened fire at a warehouse complex in the US state of Maryland on Thursday, the county sheriff said.

Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said the suspect, a temporary employee at the distribution center whom he did not identify, also died after shooting herself in the head. She was in a critical condition when arrested. 

Earlier during the day, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler had said: “The lone suspect for this incident is in custody and is in critical condition.” Gahler provided no details regarding the suspect's identity or possible motive. A law enforcement source told Reuters that the shooting was believed to have been sparked by a work-related grievance. It occurred shortly after 9 am EDT (1300 GMT) in the town of Perryman, about 55 km northeast of Baltimore.

The assailant was a woman, an unusual circumstance in and of itself as the overwhelming majority of mass shootings in the US are committed by men. The suspect used a single handgun and no shots were fired by law enforcement officers. Gahler declined to respond to a reporter who asked whether that suggested the suspect's injuries were self-inflicted.

The Rite Aid center, situated among warehouses in an industrial park, has nearly 1,000 employees, company spokesman Pete Strella said. The center processes products, including pharmaceuticals, for delivery to more than 2,500 stores. “Our prayers are with all those impacted, including our first responders,” Governor Larry Hogan wrote on Twitter. 

The shooting occurred a day after a man shot and wounded four people at a Pennsylvania court building before he was killed by police. — Reuters