Smithsburg, Maryland, shooting: Suspect charged
Authorities said Joe Louis Esquivel, 23, of Hedgeville, West Virginia, shot four co-workers — three fatally — at a manufacturing plant in western Maryland on Thursday before fleeing the scene and exchanging gunfire with state police.
A trooper and Esquivel were wounded and hospitalized, according to Lt. Col. Bill Dofflemyer of the Maryland State Police (MSP).
Investigators have not yet established a motive for the shooting, which occurred at about 2:30 p.m., Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore told reporters at a briefing.
Esquivel is being held by the Washington County Detention Center without bond. It’s currently unclear if he has an attorney.
The fatal incident is the 254th mass shooting this year, as the country is on pace to match or surpass last year’s total, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It comes as the US House of Representatives has passed several bills aimed at gun reform. Those measures have little…
