US officials: Maryland shooting leaves multiple victims

Shooting in Smithsburg town of the Mid-Atlantic state leaves at least three people dead and a trooper wounded, officials say.

Smithsburg, a community of nearly 3,000 people, is located about 120 km northwest of Baltimore, not far from the Maryland line with Pennsylvania.
AP

Smithsburg, a community of nearly 3,000 people, is located about 120 km northwest of Baltimore, not far from the Maryland line with Pennsylvania.

A suspect opened fire at a business in western Maryland, leaving three dead before the suspect and a state trooper were wounded in a shootout, authorities said.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office said in a news release on Thursday that three victims were found dead at Columbia Machine Inc. in Smithsburg town. The suspect then fled in a vehicle and was tracked down by Maryland State Police, according to the news release. 

The suspect and a trooper were wounded in an exchange of gunfire, the sheriff's office said. 

Both were being treated for their wounds.

Security presence

News photographs showed a large law enforcement presence, including emergency vehicles, at the scene.

Smithsburg, a community of nearly 3,000 people, is about 120 kilometres northwest of Baltimore not far from the Maryland line with Pennsylvania.

Route 6