Victim and suspected killer identified in Northrop Grumman shooting in Anne Arundel County

A contracted security worker was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing another security worker at the Northrop Grumman facility near BWI Marshall Airport on Wednesday, according to police.

The deceased worker was identified Thursday as Joseph Keith Aman, 37, of Baltimore.

Dylan Blake Chandler, 26, of Pasadena, has been charged with first and second-degree murder, according to Anne Arundel County Police. He was ordered to be held without bond.

Shooting at Northrop Grumman

Officers responded around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to the facility in Linthicum, in Anne Arundel County. 

Police said the shooting happened in an office during a meeting between Aman and Chandler to discuss Chandler's performance. According to court documents, the performance issues were "likely to result in Mr. Chandler being reprimanded or terminated."

Police said a third security worker who was in the room intervened, took away Chandler's gun, and kept him restrained. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police responded, followed by the Anne Arundel County Police.

Police said there were other employees inside the building at the time of the shooting.

"As you can imagine, it's very traumatizing for it to happen in the workplace," said Anne Arundel County Police spokesperson Justin Mulcahy. "It was isolated and ended very quickly, and we are thankful for the intervention of the third security guard who was there  to take him into custody."

Neither Aman nor Chandler was an employee of Northrop Grumman; they were contracted through security firm Allied Universal.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of our employee, and our sympathies go out to his family and friends," an Allied Universal spokesperson stated. "We are fully supporting the authorities as they conduct their investigation."

Former FBI agent Tyrone Powers told WJZ that he has seen incidents like this before. He said that when trusting anyone with a weapon, the vetting process should be extensive and training should be in depth.

"You have their background, you have their resume, but it takes a little more than that, especially when you talk about armed security, which is majorly different from unarmed security," Powers said. "In armed security, there has to be a lot more vetting, and not all contracts do it at the same level."

What is Northrop Grumman?

Counseling services were being provided to affected employees, Northrop Grumman said in a statement Thursday.

"Northrop Grumman is supporting the Anne Arundel police department's ongoing investigation," the statement said. "The facility remains open for work and we continue to uphold our unwavering commitment to the safety of all employees and contractors."

Northrop Grumman is an aerospace and defense company that designs and manufactures systems for aeronautics, defense, missions, and space, according to its website.

According to the General Services Administration, Northrop Grumman is the fifth-largest contractor of the U.S. federal government.

Its main headquarters is in Falls Church, Virginia.