NEW ALBANY, Ohio (news agencies) — A man accused of shooting to death a coworker and wounding five others at an Ohio warehouse has spoken with police as they probe for a motive, authorities said Wednesday, hours after he was arrested in an apartment.
Bruce Reginald Foster III, 28, will be arraigned Thursday morning, New Albany Police Chief Greg Jones said during a late afternoon news conference.
“He has spoken with investigators,” Jones said. “I wouldn’t call him fully cooperative.”
Police responding to a report of shots fired at the New Albany industrial park business after 10 p.m. just missed Foster as he took a ride share away from the scene, Jones said. Teams of police, aided by drones and a police dog, searched the facility.
“It does appear that there was contact between a victim and the shooter,” Jones said. “At this point, I don’t have a clear picture of how involved that contact was.”
About 150 employees inside the building were evacuated to the safety of a nearby building.
“Nobody reported that there was any conflict or that he was in trouble at work,” Jones said.
Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Dan Deville said a stun gun was used to subdue Foster on Wednesday morning in Columbus.
“Normally what we prefer to do is have people come out and surrender to us,” Deville said. “He refused to come out. Our guys did have to make entry.”
Four patients from the shooting were being treated at Mount Carmel East Hospital, but their conditions are not able to be publicly disclosed, hospital system spokesperson Mellissa Gallagher said Wednesday afternoon.
“They’re hospitalized, and we’re certainly hoping that they have a speedy recovery,” Jones said.
A 9 mm handgun was recovered at the shooting scene. Foster was not armed when he was arrested. He legally purchased the gun in September, a federal official said.
All of the victims also worked at the facility, Jones said. The person who was killed died in the building.
Licking County court records did not immediately list a defense attorney for the aggravated murder case opened under Foster’s name. Two possible phone numbers for Foster or a relative were not working Wednesday.
The shooting happened at the warehouse for a company that makes products including cosmetics and toiletries.
“He chose to commit this act of violence at work,” Jones said, calling it “targeted in the respect that it was people that he worked with.”
A message seeking comment was sent to the company Wednesday. New Albany is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of downtown Columbus.
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