Gunman kills himself after fatally shooting two employees in Tennessee
All three victims were reportedly employees of the company
Three employees died in a shooting at an East Tennessee factory on Thursday afternoon.
The shooting was reported around 4:15pm and the gunman’s body was found in a restroom at Thomas & Betts Corp. after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound, The Knoxville News Sentinel reports.
Police said the shooter used a semi-automatic pistol, however, authorities were unable to identify a motive at this time.
“The motive for the gunman to specifically target the two other people is still unclear,” Athens Police Chief Charles Ziegler said told reporters. “We don’t know who he is.”
All three of the victims were believed to be employees of the factory.
Witnesses told police that the shooting occurred deep inside the building on the factory’s north side.
"We cannot confirm any information on any of the victims,” Chief Ziegler told the media. “We have not even gotten the investigators in there."
Thomas & Betts designs and makes electrical components for industrial and commercial markets. Mr Ziegler also said the company sent teams of employees to assist those left in the building.
McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy said the scene at the factory was secure, “You don’t want to believe it, but you respond and you do your duty."