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4 dead, including female shooter, 3 injured at Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen

Posted at 9:48 AM, Sep 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-21 07:43:43-04

Three people were killed and three were injured by a female shooter at the Rite Aid Distribution Center in Aberdeen Thursday morning. 

The shooting occurred at a Rite Aid support facility where roughly 1,000 employees work. The Harford County Sheriff, Jeffrey Gahler, says the suspect is dead after shooting herself in the head with a 9mm Glock handgun she purchased legally.  

The shooter was identified as Snochia Moseley, a 26-year-old Baltimore County woman. She was a temporary worker at the distribution center.

Sheriff Gahler said she had one gun and multiple magazines on her when she came to work at 9 a.m. and then fired shots at other employees.

RELATED: FBI: Women account for 'handful' of active shooter cases since 2000

Some of the victims were taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital, three are expected to survive, two died at the scene, and one person died at the hospital. According to a doctor at the hospital, each victim had a single gunshot wound around the torso area. Two patients who are stable may be released later Thursday afternoon. 

Police were called to the distribution center at 1501 Perryman Road around 9:06 a.m. They say they were on the scene within five minutes and entered the center looking for a suspect or suspects. 

Police released the following dispatch audio from when the shooting was first called in:

Sheriff Gahler says the shooting started outside of the building and then proceeded inside. When law enforcement got to the scene, they say Moseley was already in critical condition after shooting herself in the head.  

Deputies initially responded to the scene with the fire department and EMS workers who were able to give emergency care to victims. 

The Harford County Sheriff's office along with ATF Baltimore, Maryland State Police, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies are on the scene continuing to investigate. 

“As you’ve seen when something like this happens, you can’t have enough police and you can’t have them fast enough,” said Sheriff Gahler.

While police were investigating on Thursday, roads surrounding the distribution center were closed and businesses in the area were on lockdown.

WMAR-2 News also spoke with someone who works at the building next to the distribution center. He said after the shooting he was dismissed from work, but he got stuck in the area for hours after. 

WATCH WMAR-2 NEWS' COVERAGE OF THE SHOOTING:

The center where the shooting happened is in the area of the Enterprise Business Park. The exact location of the shooting was where products are received and processed for delivery, according to Rite Aid spokeswoman Susan Henderson. "This is part of a large facility that is a distribution center. The shooting happened adjacent to the primary building."

Sheriff Gahler says Rite Aid does employee their own private security, but they were not on the premises at the time of the shooting. 

Rite Aid released the following statement about the incident:

“We are deeply saddened by the events that transpired this morning at the Liberty support facility, which is part of Rite Aid’s Perryman Distribution Center in Aberdeen, Md. Local authorities have confirmed that there are multiple fatalities and casualties. 

We are continuing to work closely with authorities as they conduct their investigation. The facility has been closed and we are assessing when it will be reopened. Grief counselors will be made available to our associates and will remain available as long as they are needed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved in this tragic incident, as well as their loved ones.”

At a conference Thursday afternoon, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman praised the work of the first responders. He also spoke about how shootings like this need to stop,

“We, unfortunately, have perfected this, and I hope that we don’t have to do this again in the next 10 years or ever. We’ve got a lot of problems in this country to solve to bring these kind of incidents to a closure."

Below is an interactive map with all of the locations relevant to the shooting:

Less than a year ago Harford County had another workplace shooting in Edgewood. Radee Prince reportedly went into where he works last October, Advanced Granite Solutions, and shot the five people with a handgun and then traveled to Delaware where he shot another person. 

READ MORE: Man in custody after 6 shot, 3 dead during targeted shootings in Maryland, Delaware