Three people are dead and three others are injured — including the suspect and a Maryland State Police trooper — after a mass shooting at a manufacturing company north of Smithsburg, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sgt. Carly Hose said there is no threat to the public at this time.
When sheriff’s office deputies arrived at Columbia Manufacturing, 12921 Bikle Road, they found four gunshot victims, three of whom were dead. The survivor was taken to a hospital, Hose said. She could not confirm the hospital or the victim’s condition.
The suspect, a male, fled before the sheriff’s office arrived, Hose said. A state police trooper encountered the suspect at Mapleville Road, also known as Md. 66, and Mount Aetna Road.
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The suspect and trooper exchanged gunfire. Both were hit and both were taken to the hospital. Their conditions were not known. Hose referred questions from the Mapleville Road incident to Maryland State Police.
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Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies consoling family members
Members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were meeting with the families of those killed and wounded in the mass shooting at Columbia Manufacturing in Smithsburg.
Sgt. Carly Hose said deputies were offering support to them. She could not say if it was at one location.
Meritus lifts lockdown following shooting
Meritus Medical Center spokeswoman Michelle Lovelace said the hospital east of Hagerstown is accepting patients again.
“As of 6:15, at the recommendation of local law enforcement, Meritus Medical Center has lifted its lockdown,” she wrote in an email.
The hospital had gone into lockdown at 3:50 p.m. due to a “community emergency.”
Former president of Bikle Manufacturing speaks out on shooting
Joanie Gerber, who was president of Bikle Manufacturing before it was sold in 2019, said she was “deeply saddened” over the news of the shooting at what is now Columbia Manufacturing.
Her family had owned business since 1971 before selling it to Vancouver, Washington-based Columbia. The Washington County business lists itself as Columbia Smithsburg on its website.
“I’m deeply saddened and my heart goes out to the employees and the families,” Gerber said.
Gerber said she didn’t know any details about the shooting except what was being reported by news organizations.
“I’m praying for all involved. I’m just terribly saddened by the whole thing. It’s terrible. I’m just sickened,” she said.
FBI and ATF on their way to Smithsburg
The FBI and ATF are assisting the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Maryland State police with the investigation into the mass shooting Thursday near Smithsburg.
Sgt. Carly Hose with the sheriff’s office confirmed the FBI and ATF were on their way to the scene.
Suspect taken into custody by Maryland State Police
The suspect in the mass shooting at Columbia Smithsburg was taken into custody by Maryland State Police at Mount Aetna, a Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said.
Sgt. Carly Hose could not confirm any details about the suspect other than to say the person was in custody and there was no threat to the public.
Maryland State Police are handling the incident at the Mount Aetna and Mapleville roads, Hose said. The sheriff’s office is in charge of the Bikle Road scene.
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Shooting happened at Columbia Smithsburg; church daycare on lockdown
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that the shooting happened at Columbia Smithsburg manufacturing on Bikle Road, near a church that has a daycare.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Carly Hose said that the children at the day care at Smithsburg Valley Baptist Church were not harmed and the facility was put on lockdown during the incident.
Meritus on lockdown in response
Meritus Medical Center was on lockdown as of 3:50 p.m. due to a community emergency, according to a news release from the hospital.
“That means no patients, visitors or staff may leave at this time, and we are only allowing patients experiencing a medical emergency,” the release states.
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Multiple people shot in incident near Smithsburg, sheriff says
SMITHSBURG — Multiple people have been shot following an incident Thursday afternoon in the 12900 block of Bikle Road north of Smithsburg, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The sheriff’s office received a call for the shooting around 2:30 p.m. Deputies as well as Maryland State Police were seen responding on Bikle Road north of Smithsburg and the traffic circle at Mount Aetna and Mapleville roads.
The suspect in the shooting “is no longer a threat to the community,” the office posted on its Facebook page.
“This is a rapidly evolving incident and we will release information as we are able,” the post states.
Media have been told to stage at a park in Smithsburg for updates.
Bikle Road at Smithsburg Pike was closed, as was Mapleville Road immediately south of the traffic circle.
There appears to be a wrecked Mitsubishi Eclipse with West Virginia plates south of the traffic circle.
Maryland State Police troopers and sheriff’s office personnel, including Sheriff Doug Mullendore, were seen working at the Mapleville Road site.
This story will be updated.
