Two employees of a plastics maker were fatally shot Monday morning in Cleveland, Tennessee, authorities said.
The two men killed at Barku Plastics were Tobias Gleinig and Ivan Aldergot, police said in a statement. Both were supervisors at the plant and citizens of Germany, Cleveland Police Capt. Evie West said at a news conference Monday night.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families, friends, and coworkers of Mr. Gleinig and Mr. Aldergot during this tragic time,” Cleveland police said in a statement.
Officers responding to reports of gunfire shortly before 10:30 a.m. found the two dead, the department said.
A possible shooter was identified and a vehicle associated with him was tracked to a residence in Bradley County, outside the Cleveland city limits, it said.
Cleveland police officers and a SWAT team from the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office surrounded the home for “several hours,” Cleveland police said, and discovered the man dead after they sent in two robots and a drone to take a closer look.
The man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Cleveland police said.
Citing the police department, NBC affiliate WCYB of nearby Bristol, Virginia, reported that investigators believe the gunman was a former employee at Barku, an injection molding plastics maker.
Authorities said the man’s name will be released by the medical examiner in Bradley County, which underlies Cleveland, a city of nearly 50,000 about 32 miles east of Chattanooga.
Barku is a subsidiary of Barku Kunststofftechnik, a plastics producer established in Germany in 1977, according to the Tennessee company’s website. Barku’s Tennessee executives and representatives of the German Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reflecting on the shock and sorrow of the violence, West said, “It is a very traumatic thing.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
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