A gunman opened fire at a Lockheed Martin factory in the eastern part of Mississippi today, killing at least five people before apparently committing suicide, police said.
Eight other employees at the factory outside Meridian, Mississippi, suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to a local hospital, Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie said in an interview with CNN.
Mr Sollie said the unidentified gunman was an employee at the plant and had used a shotgun and an automatic weapon in the shooting. Mr Sollie said investigators were trying to figure out a motive for the shootings.
This is "obviously an unspeakable tragedy," Meridian Mayor John Smith told CNN.
Lockheed Martin is the largest defense contractor in the United States. It employs about 100 people at its facility near Meridian, where it produces parts for the next-generation F/A-22 fighter jet.
A spokeswoman for Lockheed Martin said company officials were working with investigators at the scene of the shooting.