The mass shooter who killed three people at a factory in Maryland has been identified.
On Thursday afternoon, a young man fatally shot three people and injured an additional four after opening fire at Columbia Machine Shop in Smithsburg, Maryland.
Following the massacre, the police apprehended the man and revealed he remains in custody.
The gunman has now been identified as 23-year-old Joe Louis Esquivel. The police also revealed that he was a resident of Hedgesville, West Virginia, and that he worked at the plant where he shot seven people.
According to the latest information, Esquivel committed the killings using a semi-automatic handgun following his shift. During a search of his home, the authorities recovered additional firearms.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has since also revealed that the 23-year-old has been charged with more than twenty felonies including three counts of first-degree murder.
Following the massacre, Esquivel’s mother has spoken out to NBC Washington and revealed she hadn’t talked to her son since the shooting. She also insisted she has no idea what his motives could be.
Meanwhile, witness Harleigh Routzahn recalled the cops exchanging fire with the suspect after they hunted him down following the shooting at the factory.
“They were telling him that he needed to his put hands up, that he was under arrest,” the local said.
“They probably said that like 15 times. He shot at the state trooper and grazed him, and that’s when all the cops started letting off fire.”
Lt. Col. Bill Dofflemyer of Maryland State Police added: “When the troopers went to stop the vehicle, the suspect immediately started firing multiple rounds at the troopers.”
Since the Maryland mass shooting, it has come to our attention that the three deceased victims include 30-year-old Joshua Robert Wallace, 31-year-old Charles Edward Minnick Jr., and 50-year-old Mark Alan Frey.
Our thoughts remain with the families of the victims of the shooting.
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