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Maryland shooter had a history of mental illness, police say

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Maryland shooting: Witnesses say suspect was in argument before rampage 02:36

The 26-year-old woman who killed three people at a Rite Aid distribution center before fatally turning the gun on herself had a history of mental illness, police said in a news conference Friday. Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said family and friends of Snochia Moseley told investigators she was "increasingly agitated" and that they were "concerned for her well-being." 

Moseley was identified as a temporary employee at the distribution center. Police said she used a 9mm Glock handgun in the shooting and died at a hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"I don't want to go into specifics about her medical condition but she was diagnosed with a mental illness," Gahler  said.

Despite this, Gahler said she legally purchased her firearm. Police said she would need to be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder and would have had to shown a propensity of violence to herself or others before applying to purchase a firearm.  

"As we look across the country it is pervasive in a lot of communities. You just don't know when or where this could happen. It's almost like a ticking time bomb and when that mental illness manifests into violence," Harford County Executive Barry Glassman said at the news conference. 

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