Three People shot & killed in Maryland

hollydolly

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Three people were shot and killed at a manufacturing facility in Maryland on Thursday afternoon.

Deputies responded to an active shooting on the 12900 block of Bikle Road in Smithsburg around 2.30pm, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

‘At this time the Sheriff’s Office can confirm that there are multiple victims and the suspect is no longer a threat to the community,’

Three people were found dead at Columbia Machine Inc and a fourth person was critically injured, according to the sheriff’s office. The suspect and a trooper exchanged gunfire and were both wounded.

Authorities did not immediately have information whether the victims and shooter were employed by Columbia Machine, said Sheriff’s Office Sgt Carly Hose.


Smithsburg is about 75 miles northwest of Washington, DC.
 

Par for the course. Nothing unusual to see here folks.
Sadly that seems to be how many feel. Mass shootings of many kinds have essentially become 'normalized' in America.

It may turn out that this shooter was a disgruntled employee or customer of the business involved, as it can be when at just one specific business location. My early recollection of such a thing was incident that was back in 80s a series of them in US Post Offices gave rise to the phrase 'Going Postal'.

What many are overlooking as factor in Mass School Shootings is not just the frequency of Mass Shootings in general but the fact that many of the more recent shooters grew up in an era (Post 2000) that no matter how horrific, our federal legislators are unlikely to do anything constructive to make such incidents less injurious, deadly and maybe less likely.
 

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Sadly that seems to be how many feel. Mass shootings of many kinds have essentially become 'normalized' in America.

It may turn out that this shooter was a disgruntled employee or customer of the business involved, as it can be when at just one specific business location. My early recollection of such a thing was incident that was back in 80s a series of them in US Post Offices gave rise to the phrase 'Going Postal'.

What many are overlooking as factor in Mass School Shootings is not just the frequency of Mass Shootings in general but the fact that many of the more recent shooters grew up in an era (Post 2000) that no matter how horrific, our federal legislators are unlikely to do anything constructive to make such incidents less injurious, deadly and maybe less likely.
I remember that post office shooting and the subsequent term "going postal". When I saw the news about the Columbia Machine Co shooting, I thought the same as you...must be a disgruntled (ex) employee. This update reports that he worked a full shift then went to his car and got the gun. Makes me wonder was it planned all along or did he happen to have a gun in his car, someone p*ssed him off and that was his reaction. :unsure: I'm also wondering why we have not yet seen a picture of the shooter, a 23 year old man, least not in any of the articles I looked at today.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...ar-killing-coworkers-officials-say/ar-AAYk01d
 
Sadly that seems to be how many feel. Mass shootings of many kinds have essentially become 'normalized' in America.

It may turn out that this shooter was a disgruntled employee or customer of the business involved, as it can be when at just one specific business location. My early recollection of such a thing was incident that was back in 80s a series of them in US Post Offices gave rise to the phrase 'Going Postal'.

What many are overlooking as factor in Mass School Shootings is not just the frequency of Mass Shootings in general but the fact that many of the more recent shooters grew up in an era (Post 2000) that no matter how horrific, our federal legislators are unlikely to do anything constructive to make such incidents less injurious, deadly and maybe less likely.
If you're referring to this mass shooting in 1986, I did some research because I was curious about the motive, since the shooter seemed otherwise normal. Some of his co-workers spoke out about the actions of his co-workers and supervisors. During the shooting, when the shooter encountered those co-workers who did not torment him, he told them, "You never hurt me; you can leave now."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmond_post_office_shooting

He did his job well, but several female employees and his supervisors constantly ridiculed him & sabotaged his job. After he sorted his mail, they would mix it up, which caused delays in delivery. Then his supervisors "wrote him up" for not doing his job & threatened to fire him.
And some idiotic female co-workers would ask him out on a date & when he said, "OK," they'd say, "Are you kidding; why would we go out with a fat, bald old man like you?"
I know what it's like to do your job well & have others intentionally sabotage it. I also know what it's like to be bullied daily in school - 7 hours/day of being called "Fatso" & "Four Eyes" as well as physical assaults. And guess who got suspended when I fought back? Me.
My schoolmates will never know how lucky they are - considering what I could have done to them.
The only people he targeted were his tormentors, who didn't know he was an expert pistol shot; some of his victims were hit from 50 yards away.
No, I am not justifying what he did; I'm saying there was a reason for it.
When people are stupid enough to get their kicks tormenting someone, they take a big risk; they don't know how much their victim will take or how he may retaliate when he's had too much.
 
If you're referring to this mass shooting in 1986, I did some research because I was curious about the motive, since the shooter seemed otherwise normal. Some of his co-workers spoke out about the actions of his co-workers and supervisors. During the shooting, when the shooter encountered those co-workers who did not torment him, he told them, "You never hurt me; you can leave now."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmond_post_office_shooting

He did his job well, but several female employees and his supervisors constantly ridiculed him & sabotaged his job. After he sorted his mail, they would mix it up, which caused delays in delivery. Then his supervisors "wrote him up" for not doing his job & threatened to fire him.
And some idiotic female co-workers would ask him out on a date & when he said, "OK," they'd say, "Are you kidding; why would we go out with a fat, bald old man like you?"
I know what it's like to do your job well & have others intentionally sabotage it. I also know what it's like to be bullied daily in school - 7 hours/day of being called "Fatso" & "Four Eyes" as well as physical assaults. And guess who got suspended when I fought back? Me.
My schoolmates will never know how lucky they are - considering what I could have done to them.
The only people he targeted were his tormentors, who didn't know he was an expert pistol shot; some of his victims were hit from 50 yards away.
No, I am not justifying what he did; I'm saying there was a reason for it.
When people are stupid enough to get their kicks tormenting someone, they take a big risk; they don't know how much their victim will take or how he may retaliate when he's had too much.
Thank you for posting the full story, i remember most of those details from that one (i think when i looked up the dates the earliest USPS shooting was 1984) but they were not my main point, which was we've had ever increasing mass shootings for over 3 decades, and also ever increasing Mass School shootings.

We have at least 3 generations (Millennials/Gen Y, Gen Z and now Gen A. Gen A are those born 2012 or after--So most of the Uvalde victims were cusp of GenZ/Gen A.) who have grown up with this violence being allowed.

I understand you aren't justifying what the 1986 USPS shooter did. We have a saying in my family to the effect that it is helpful to have an explanation even when that explanation does not excuse the action.

And the point you end with in italics is one i've often tried to get across to bullies: There are two problems with that might makes right attitude they rarely consider. Sooner or later most bullies, whether on playgrounds, in classrooms, workplaces or anywhere else, will either 1) encounter a bigger, stronger, meaner bully or 2) Push someone too far as you said.
 
The picture is heartbreaking. She looked so pretty and I read she had made her skirt for school. Look what she got in return.

She's a member of the Little Rock Nine if I'm correct. I have a copy of Warriors Don't Cry, that I got at PAWS. Forgot about it. Need to read. But I'm stuck on this cozy mystery series right now.
 
If you're referring to this mass shooting in 1986, I did some research because I was curious about the motive, since the shooter seemed otherwise normal. Some of his co-workers spoke out about the actions of his co-workers and supervisors. During the shooting, when the shooter encountered those co-workers who did not torment him, he told them, "You never hurt me; you can leave now."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmond_post_office_shooting

He did his job well, but several female employees and his supervisors constantly ridiculed him & sabotaged his job. After he sorted his mail, they would mix it up, which caused delays in delivery. Then his supervisors "wrote him up" for not doing his job & threatened to fire him.
And some idiotic female co-workers would ask him out on a date & when he said, "OK," they'd say, "Are you kidding; why would we go out with a fat, bald old man like you?"
I know what it's like to do your job well & have others intentionally sabotage it. I also know what it's like to be bullied daily in school - 7 hours/day of being called "Fatso" & "Four Eyes" as well as physical assaults. And guess who got suspended when I fought back? Me.
My schoolmates will never know how lucky they are - considering what I could have done to them.
The only people he targeted were his tormentors, who didn't know he was an expert pistol shot; some of his victims were hit from 50 yards away.
No, I am not justifying what he did; I'm saying there was a reason for it.
When people are stupid enough to get their kicks tormenting someone, they take a big risk; they don't know how much their victim will take or how he may retaliate when he's had too much.
It seems quite a few mass murderers were also bullied and treated bad at school and swore revenge someday. I was bullied in school because my parents, who were actually my grandparents were much older than everyone else's parents and I was made fun of for having dinosaurs for parents. I never explained to anyone that I was orphaned at 9 years of age because I thought it would only be worse. Even with all the name calling through eighth grade, it never bothered me. I took it in stride and just didn't care. When the truth came out about my mom and dad being killed, everyone's attitude towards me changed almost immediately.
 
Thank you for posting the full story, i remember most of those details from that one (i think when i looked up the dates the earliest USPS shooting was 1984) but they were not my main point, which was we've had ever increasing mass shootings for over 3 decades, and also ever increasing Mass School shootings.

We have at least 3 generations (Millennials/Gen Y, Gen Z and now Gen A. Gen A are those born 2012 or after--So most of the Uvalde victims were cusp of GenZ/Gen A.) who have grown up with this violence being allowed.

I understand you aren't justifying what the 1986 USPS shooter did. We have a saying in my family to the effect that it is helpful to have an explanation even when that explanation does not excuse the action.

And the point you end with in italics is one i've often tried to get across to bullies: There are two problems with that might makes right attitude they rarely consider. Sooner or later most bullies, whether on playgrounds, in classrooms, workplaces or anywhere else, will either 1) encounter a bigger, stronger, meaner bully or 2) Push someone too far as you said.
Another type of bullying I experienced in middle school:
In 7th grade, a student with a handicap was enrolled in two of my classes. He wore leg braces & he had to walk with his legs bent.
He was so accustomed to being ridiculed, he didn't accept friendship from anyone.
Kids called him all kinds of names like "Hydraulic Legs" & "Ape Man." They addressed him by saying, "Hey, Freakizoid."
He became friendly to me only after several weeks; that's how long it took him to be convinced I wasn't out to hurt him. Other kids pretended to be friendly, then (to impress their friends), they'd insult him when they had an audience (much like the postal worker in post #5 above).
As soon as other kids saw us hanging out, they started making fun of ME, for being friendly to him. They constantly started calling me
"Cripple Lover," "Freako Lover" & other names (in addition to the usual "Fatso" & "Four Eyes.")
I remember thinking: "These jerks are 13-15 years old; what sewer did they come from & what kind of human refuse are their parents?"

Just typing this makes me so angry at the memory, I'm shaking.

I had very few friends in school & these idiot kids taught me I was much better off that way.
 
Another type of bullying I experienced in middle school:
In 7th grade, a student with a handicap was enrolled in two of my classes. He wore leg braces & he had to walk with his legs bent.
He was so accustomed to being ridiculed, he didn't accept friendship from anyone.
Kids called him all kinds of names like "Hydraulic Legs" & "Ape Man." They addressed him by saying, "Hey, Freakizoid."
He became friendly to me only after several weeks; that's how long it took him to be convinced I wasn't out to hurt him. Other kids pretended to be friendly, then (to impress their friends), they'd insult him when they had an audience (much like the postal worker in post #5 above).
As soon as other kids saw us hanging out, they started making fun of ME, for being friendly to him. They constantly started calling me
"Cripple Lover," "Freako Lover" & other names (in addition to the usual "Fatso" & "Four Eyes.")
I remember thinking: "These jerks are 13-15 years old; what sewer did they come from & what kind of human refuse are their parents?"

I had very few friends in school & these idiot kids taught me I was much better off that way.
Do you ever see any of those kids since you've all been adults ?
 
Do you ever see any of those kids since you've all been adults ?
No. Later, in High School, I saw maybe one or two students from Middle School. They were both arrested on campus for drug possession.
A few more were killed in car crashes. And, by then, handicapped students were put in handicapped schools - maybe to prevent such issues.
I only met one handicapped student in High School - she was blind.
 
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Sadly that seems to be how many feel. Mass shootings of many kinds have essentially become 'normalized' in America.
No, they haven't. No mentally sound people in America think mass shootings are normal. Neither are singular murders, serial murders, home-invasions, rapes, or beatings. It's pretty disturbing, imo, that so many Americans feel that arming oneself for the purpose of self-defense is also not normal.
 
No, they haven't. No mentally sound people in America think mass shootings are normal. Neither are singular murders, serial murders, home-invasions, rapes, or beatings. It's pretty disturbing, imo, that so many Americans feel that arming oneself for the purpose of self-defense is also not normal.
That's why i put normalized in single quotes, because it is not really normal, much less acceptable in any way. But the reality is, way too many Americans accept the arguments against effective counter measures, and while they cry out after each new incident, they quickly revert to going a long with the idea that nothing can be done.
 
That's why i put normalized in single quotes, because it is not really normal, much less acceptable in any way. But the reality is, way too many Americans accept the arguments against effective counter measures, and while they cry out after each new incident, they quickly revert to going a long with the idea that nothing can be done.
they quickly revert to going a long with the idea that nothing can be done....about mass shootings?

I disagree. Lots of regular citizens yell at their state representatives and the White House about solutions aside from gun prohibition, even ones who also feel that yelling about it to all the right people is futile because most gov't officials only respond to complaints about guns, especially during election years.

Mass shootings get votes. A cold fact, but a fact all the same. It's the main reason mass shootings get much more media coverage than singular murders, rapes, domestic and child abuse, and child and teen abductions; each one a crime that happens every one to three seconds or one to seven minutes, but don't make for good vote-getting sound-bites or EZ solutions.
 
Three people were shot and killed at a manufacturing facility in Maryland on Thursday afternoon.

Deputies responded to an active shooting on the 12900 block of Bikle Road in Smithsburg around 2.30pm, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

‘At this time the Sheriff’s Office can confirm that there are multiple victims and the suspect is no longer a threat to the community,’

Three people were found dead at Columbia Machine Inc and a fourth person was critically injured, according to the sheriff’s office. The suspect and a trooper exchanged gunfire and were both wounded.

Authorities did not immediately have information whether the victims and shooter were employed by Columbia Machine, said Sheriff’s Office Sgt Carly Hose.


Smithsburg is about 75 miles northwest of Washington, DC.
This happened near my hometown! When I read the local news, I was shocked! This is a rural area, mostly, with very little crime, if any, so something like this can shake the whole community!
 
they quickly revert to going a long with the idea that nothing can be done....about mass shootings?

I disagree. Lots of regular citizens yell at their state representatives and the White House about solutions aside from gun prohibition, even ones who also feel that yelling about it to all the right people is futile because most gov't officials only respond to complaints about guns, especially during election years.

Mass shootings get votes. A cold fact, but a fact all the same. It's the main reason mass shootings get much more media coverage than singular murders, rapes, domestic and child abuse, and child and teen abductions; each one a crime that happens every one to three seconds or one to seven minutes, but don't make for good vote-getting sound-bites or EZ solutions.
Yeah but they keep re-electing ones that not only don't do anything constructive but obstruct attempts by others. They re-elect even people known to get huge 'donations' from Gun lobby.
 
This happened near my hometown! When I read the local news, I was shocked! This is a rural area, mostly, with very little crime, if any, so something like this can shake the whole community!
I bet you never thought your area would hit worldwide news, and for all the wrong reasons... how sad!!
 
This area is getting new development, and I had read once, written by a HUD former director, that if someone wants an area to lower the value of its property, you bring in crime. Yup. I don't know if this was the case, but it sure smells rotten...haha
 
I have thought about it how these once rarer things seem to happen more often...... and the reaction to it

I do not in any way condone behavior but some shooters like described above do have tormentors or specific targets in mind ....
others are random just whomever is there.......... 15 minutes of fame or suicide by police?

What is the first thing we have seen on many recent shootings ...........
the bad childhood / the being bullied or harassed / mental illness or abuse .... etc
We know more about the shooter then we ever learn about victims....... it is as if media....... (IMO) is the defense attorney .......
the rush to blame a tool ( gun/ knife ) not the person using it.....

look at the entertainment.....
video games where you shoot up everything but with a push of a button restart all characters are back alive....
Movies or TV that glorify .... revenge. Many of these have numerous installments ... John Wick 1,2,3 ----- Taken 1,2,3

We even shows that explain in detail ways to wipe evidence to clean a crime scene in case on SINGLE murder etc ...........to create REASONABLE doubt to fake an alibi etc

The hero in movies is only nicked and a bandage is worn for one scene after the massive gunfight etc .....
even in public places only the bad guys get shot ..... life is not like that ... there is no reset ... no do-overs

Perhaps we need to revert to harsh reality like the very old Scared Straight program ......
Instead of rushing to create excuses for those who do this ........
 
I have thought about it how these once rarer things seem to happen more often...... and the reaction to it

I do not in any way condone behavior but some shooters like described above do have tormentors or specific targets in mind ....
others are random just whomever is there.......... 15 minutes of fame or suicide by police?

What is the first thing we have seen on many recent shootings ...........
the bad childhood / the being bullied or harassed / mental illness or abuse .... etc
We know more about the shooter then we ever learn about victims....... it is as if media....... (IMO) is the defense attorney .......
the rush to blame a tool ( gun/ knife ) not the person using it.....

look at the entertainment.....
video games where you shoot up everything but with a push of a button restart all characters are back alive....
Movies or TV that glorify .... revenge. Many of these have numerous installments ... John Wick 1,2,3 ----- Taken 1,2,3

We even shows that explain in detail ways to wipe evidence to clean a crime scene in case on SINGLE murder etc ...........to create REASONABLE doubt to fake an alibi etc

The hero in movies is only nicked and a bandage is worn for one scene after the massive gunfight etc .....
even in public places only the bad guys get shot ..... life is not like that ... there is no reset ... no do-overs

Perhaps we need to revert to harsh reality like the very old Scared Straight program ......
Instead of rushing to create excuses for those who do this ........
It's quite rare that any motive or negative information is given about the victims.
Probably because it would be misinterpreted as "They deserved it" or "They had it coming."
Plus, we don't say bad things about the dead.
 


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