ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A gunman opened fire at a fiber optics manufacturer on Monday, killing five people and wounding four others before killing himself in what police said was a domestic violence dispute.
The shooting at Emcore Corp. appeared to involve the 37-year-old gunman’s ex-wife or girlfriend, police Chief Ray Schultz said. It was not immediately clear whether she was among the dead. Schultz said the gunman was a former employee.
Chaos unfolded as the gunman opened fire, sending employees fleeing for cover as police locked down the entire neighbourhood in Albuquerque, in the southwestern U.S.
Police said 85 employees were later taken to a community centre for interviews with detectives.
Six victims were taken to University of New Mexico Hospital, spokesman Billy Sparks said. One was dead on arrival, one died in the operating room and one was still in surgery but expected to be transferred to intensive care soon.
One of the other three was in the hospital’s imaging department and two others were in stable condition in the emergency room.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the remaining victims died at the scene or at another hospital.
Emcore manufactures components that allow voice, video and data transmission over fiber optic lines. They also manufacture solar power systems for satellite and ground-based systems.
The company has about 700 full-time employees.