The suspect was reportedly an employee
A gunman fatally shot five people at a manufacturing plant in Aurora, Illinois, on Friday afternoon, also injuring five law enforcement officers before he was killed in a gunfight with authorities, according to Aurora police.
Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman confirmed the fatalities during a Friday evening news conference, and said the deceased suspect was an employee of the Henry Pratt Company, where the incident took place.
According to Ziman, the suspect opened fire on the first officers who responded to scene. No officer fatalities have been reported. Five are being treated for gunshot wounds and a sixth officer sustained a knee injury.
The suspect was killed in a gunfight with officers in the sprawling 29,000-square-foot facility.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.
"There are no words for the kind of evil that robs our neighbors of their hopes, their dreams and their futures," Pritzker said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "There are no words to express our gratitude to the officers who were wounded in the line of duty as they responded to the gravest kind of danger they could face."
Aurora police reported the active shooter situation on Twitter at 2:43 p.m. CST, telling people to avoid the area as SWAT teams and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents responded to the scene.
The shooting occurred at the manufacturing firm, the Henry Pratt Company. Nearby schools were sheltering in place while the situation was resolved.
"Per directions from the county sheriff, the District has been advised to go into soft lockdown situation across the district," a statement from West Aurora School District 129 read. "Teaching will continue with reduced movement. Normal operations will resume when the soft lockdown has been lifted. No one will be allowed to leave or enter our buildings until the lockdown has been lifted."
