Shooting At Alabama Factory

A man opened fire with a rifle during a Wednesday shift change outside a Florence fertilizer plant, wounding three employees.

Police said Elvin Ray Vaughn, an employee at IMC Fertilizer Inc., surrendered and was charged with three counts of attempted murder after the 6 a.m. shootings at the plant in northwest Alabama.

Investigators said Jerry Whiteside, 43, of Muscle Shoals, was released after treatment for a gunshot wound at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital. Garth Lawson, 42, of Muscle Shoals, and Alex Armstead, 44, of Florence, were each also shot once. Both were in stable condition.

Vaughn, 57, was being held at the Lauderdale County Detention Center. Police described him as a "disgruntled employee," but provided no motive for the shooting.

Police said Vaughn was waiting in his vehicle in the plant parking lot during a 6 a.m. shift change. He is accused of firing three shots from a rifle at the men as they left the plant.

A spokesman for IMC's parent Company, Royster-Clark, said counselors would be sent to the plant to assist employees.

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