At least 2 killed in Ohio shooting at warehouse; suspect in custody
At least two people were killed in a mass shooting at an Ohio warehouse late Tuesday night, police said. A suspect who worked at the warehouse is in custody.
Police in New Albany, Ohio, said early Thursday morning that one of the five people hospitalized after the shooting at the KDC/One warehouse had died from their wounds. Another victim was found dead at the warehouse.
The conditions of the other four wounded people were unknown, police said Thursday. Police haven't identified any of the victims, citing state crime victims' rights laws.
"These were co-workers, people that work with him," Police Chief Greg Jones told reporters Wednesday.
Police identified Bruce Reginald Foster III, 28, as the suspect in the shooting. He used a ride-sharing service to leave the scene and was taken into custody when police executed a search warrant at a home in nearby Columbus, officials said.
"Sadly, any community in America can fall victim to random workplace violence," New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding said during a news conference. "Last night, that random violence struck right here."
Authorities didn't yet have a motive for the shooting, Jones said. He said there appeared to be "contact" between the suspect and one of the victims but he didn't have a clear picture of what happened.
He said the suspect had been at work "for some time" before the gunfire, adding that police were checking addresses associated with the suspect.
Jones told reporters the shooting may have been "targeted" and noted there was no apparent ongoing threat to anyone in the vicinity. "He chose to commit this act of violence at work, not on the share-ride driver or not on a neighbor, something like that," Jones said. "So targeted in the respect that it was people that he works with."
A handgun was found in the warehouse, police said. The handgun was determined to have been legally purchased by the suspect in September 2024, Daryl McCormick, special agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Columbus Field Division, said in a news briefing Wednesday afternoon.
"He was not a prohibitive person, so he was able to lawfully purchase that firearm," said McCormick, who added that the handgun was identified as a Glock 26 9 mm pistol.
The ATF is working to trace the gun to find out if it has previously been used in other crimes.
The city said police responded at about 10:30 p.m. to the active shooter situation at KDC/One, which is a cosmetics and toiletries company.
Jones said some people were "self evacuating" when officers arrived and the rest in the "large building" were evacuated to another building nearby, roughly 150 in all. He told CBS News earlier that a drone was used to help clear them out.
Jones noted that some were being interviewed and there was a language barrier with several. Many didn't know what had happened until they were evacuated, Jones said.
"This has been a very tragic situation. Our thoughts go out to the victims, their families and everybody that works at this facility," Jones said. "This is something that we hoped would never happen in our community, but we prepare for it, and this is where we are now."
New Albany is 15 miles northeast of Columbus.