Three people have been killed in a mass shooting incident at a manufacturing plant in the Maryland town of Smithsburg on Thursday, local US media said.

Three people were killed on Thursday in a shooting at a manufacturing plant in Smithsburg and a state trooper was shot in the shoulder, according to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

The governor said he did not know the status of the shooter, CNN reported. As per reports, the shooter opened fire at a manufacturing facility which is said to be a Solumbia Machine factory in Northern Maryland.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said that the shooting unfolded at around 2.30 pm on Thursday afternoon at the Columbia Machine in Smithsburg, around 75 miles from the city of Baltimore.

The Washington County Sheriff’s office said in a post on Facebook that deputies had responded to the shooting at around 2:30 p.m. in the 12900 block of Bikle Road, however, the details about the victims or suspects were not immediately available.

“We are actively monitoring the mass shooting in #Smithsburg right now, and our office is in contact with officials on the ground. If you’re local, please stay away from the area as law enforcement responds,” Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) tweeted shortly after the incident took place in Maryland.

The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there are multiple victims and the suspect is no longer a threat to the community, reported The Hill.

This is a rapidly evolving incident and we will release information as we are able,” the Washington County Sheriff’s Office added.

Several high-profile shootings that have taken place over the last few weeks in New York, Texas and Oklahoma have led to over half of Americans chanting in support of making gun violence laws more strict.

Gun violence has been on the rise across the United States in the past few years, a trend fueled by multiple factors, from the economic and social disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to the unrest during the 2020 elections, as well as a surge in gun sales.

More than 17,000 people have died or been injured due to gun violence in the country so far this year, during which America has seen at least 110 mass shootings.