Police say employee got gun from car, opened fire in area of breakroom, killing three
Jun. 11—A man accused of shooting and killing three co-workers at a Smithsburg-area business on Thursday opened fire in the area of the break room after getting a gun from his car, police said.
A fourth co-worker was shot and wounded, police said.
On Friday evening, police identified the man as Joe Louis Esquivel, 23, of Hedgesville, West Virginia. He is charged with three counts apiece of first- and second-degree murder.
Esquivel and the four people who were shot worked at Columbia Machine Inc. on Bikle Road, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Esquivel arrived for his normal shift on Thursday and worked throughout the day, the Sheriff's Office said in a press release on Friday.
He then exited the building, got a semiautomatic handgun from his bronze Mitsubishi Eclipse, and reentered the building, where he opened fire, authorities said.
Sheriff Doug Mullendore said on Thursday night that Esquivel was being treated and was in custody at Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sgt. Carly Hose said in an interview on Friday that Esquivel was still at a medical facility. She would not give his condition.
Police have said that after Esquivel shot four co-workers, he drove away from Columbia Machine in his Eclipse. In the area of Mapleville and Mount Aetna roads, Maryland State Police chased his car.
Police said Esquivel fired at troopers, who shot back, according to Lt. Col. Bill Dofflemyer of Maryland State Police. Both Esquivel and one of the troopers were shot.
The trooper was treated at Meritus Medical Center and released, Dofflemyer said. Police said the trooper, who was not named, is a 25-year veteran of the department assigned to the Criminal Enforcement Division Western Region.
A Sheriff's Office press release on Friday said the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted as authorities used a warrant to search Esquivel's residence in West Virginia. There, they found additional firearms, the press release said.
The three people who were shot and killed were identified as Mark Alan Frey, 50, of Hagerstown; Joshua Robert Wallace, 30, of Hagerstown; and Charles Edward Minnick Jr., 31, of Smithsburg.
The man who was shot and critically injured was identified as Brandon Chase Michael, 42. Police did not provide an update on his condition on Friday. Hose said police are not releasing his hometown.
Besides the murder counts, Esquivel also is charged with various counts of first- and second-degree assault, first- and second-degree attempted murder, reckless endangerment, having a handgun in a vehicle, having a loaded handgun and using a firearm during a violent crime.
He was being held on Friday evening at the Washington County Detention Center without bail.
Follow Clara Niel on Twitter: @clarasniel
