2 Dead in Indiana Factory Shooting

Dec. 6 -- A gunman killed one person and wounded six others today in a factory in Goshen, Ind., before apparently killing himself, officials said.

Officials initially reported that between 30 and 35 people were feared injured in the shooting at the Nu-Wood Decorative Millwork building. Police later said there were as many as 35 people inside the factory at the time of the shooting, but most escaped unharmed.

State police said they found the shooter dead with a gun near his head inside the factory. The man was not immediately identified, but authorities said he was believed to be a former Nu-Wood employee.

Nu-Wood workers at the scene also said the gunman was a plant employee who was either recently fired or about to be fired.

"All I'm aware of is there was a dispute, and he left the property and came back," Goshen Police Chief Terry Schollian said.

SWAT Teams Rush to the Scene

Officials said the gunfire broke out at about 2:30 p.m. local time. Witnesses said the situation appeared to be under control two hours later, and that SWAT teams had entered the building.

"About 10 of them entered the building on the east side and 10 entered on the south side … and I thought, anything could happen now," said Roy Beaupain, president of a nearby printing store.

"About 15 minutes later, they started to come out and they were very relaxed, so there was no more danger apparently," he said.

There was no immediate information on the identity of the other person killed. Of the six wounded, most were "walking wounded," Schollian said. Three were taken to nearby Goshen General Hospital. Another person was taken to a hospital in Fort Wayne in critical condition, but was later upgrade to serious condition.

People in nearby buildings watched as police who had rushed to the facility set up a perimeter around 3 p.m.

"They're down at the ground," said Wendy Jones, a worker in a nearby building. "They're behind the cars. They're hiding in the grass. Hiding behind the bushes. I'm going to say there are 15 to 20 of them out there, so it's quite a scene."