Gunman kills one and injures at least five more in mass shooting at custom cabinet maker in Texas

A suspect believed to be an employee of a custom cabinet maker in Texas has killed one person and injured five others as well as a state trooper during a deadly mass shooting in Bryan before then fleeing and sparking a massive manhunt. 

Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske said during a press conference that an employee of Kent Moore Cabinets may be responsible for a mass shooting that killed one person and critically injured four others at the business, KBTX reported.

Another shooting victim is non-critical while a seventh victim had an asthma attack related to the incident, and all victims were taken to a local hospital, cops said. The shooting took place in the bays in a plant where employees make cabinets.

Another official with the Bryan Police Department said during a press conference that the shooting happened around 2.30pm at Brazos County Industrial Park, The Bryan-College Station Eagle reported.

‘A DPS Trooper was shot while pursuing an individual suspected of being involved in the shooting in Bryan. He remains in serious but stable condition,’ the Texas Department of Public Safety tweeted after the shooting.

It remains unclear if the trooper is an additional, seventh victim or one of the six counted by Bryan Police.

The suspect led law enforcement on a chase in Grimes County before a trooper’s vehicle was later seen with shattered glass and bullet holes, KBTX reported.

Witnesses told the outlet that the shooter ‘was very selective about who he shot.’

An employee from a local business talks on her phone after police released her from the scene of a mass shooting at an industrial park in Bryan, Texas

A Bryan police officer blocks road access near the scene of a mass shooting at an industrial park in Bryan in Bryan, Texas

A Bryan police officer blocks road access near the scene of a mass shooting at an industrial park in Bryan in Bryan, Texas

Police responded to a shooting at Kent Moore Cabinets on Thursday in Bryan, Texas where one person was killed and several people were wounded

Police responded to a shooting at Kent Moore Cabinets on Thursday in Bryan, Texas where one person was killed and several people were wounded

One person was killed and several people were wounded Thursday in the wake of a shooting at a cabinet-making business in Bryan, Texas, authorities said, and a state trooper was later shot during a manhunt

One person was killed and several people were wounded Thursday in the wake of a shooting at a cabinet-making business in Bryan, Texas, authorities said, and a state trooper was later shot during a manhunt

Workers of surrounding businesses are let go by police after a mass shooting at an industrial park in Bryan, Texas on Thursday

Workers of surrounding businesses are let go by police after a mass shooting at an industrial park in Bryan, Texas on Thursday

A suspect believed to be an employee of a custom cabinet maker in Texas has killed one person and injured five others during a deadly mass shooting in Bryan

A suspect believed to be an employee of a custom cabinet maker in Texas has killed one person and injured five others during a deadly mass shooting in Bryan

The shooting took place in the bays in a plant where employees make cabinets

The shooting took place in the bays in a plant where employees make cabinets

The suspect was allegedly caught after sparking a massive manhunt and leading law enforcement on a car chase

The suspect was allegedly caught after sparking a massive manhunt and leading law enforcement on a car chase

First responders are seen after six people were shot, one of them killed, after the mass shooter opened fire

First responders are seen after six people were shot, one of them killed, after the mass shooter opened fire

Authorities responded to a shooting at Kent Moore Cabinets in Bryan Thursday afternoon

Authorities responded to a shooting at Kent Moore Cabinets in Bryan Thursday afternoon

Bryan Police Department posted about the shooting on Twitter, noting that all victims were taken to local hospitals

Bryan Police Department posted about the shooting on Twitter, noting that all victims were taken to local hospitals

Bryan Police Lt. Jason James had earlier said during a press conference that no police were injured and that the shooting ‘was already over with’ when police arrived.

‘Officers responded and they found several victims. They were checking the area, checking the building and looking for more victims,’ James said during the press conference. 

The suspect was eventually taken into custody in the tiny town of Iola, officials said, about 30 miles from cabinet maker. But cops have not yet released any additional information about the alleged shooter. 

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Bryan Police Department, the  Department of Public Safety and the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office for more information and additional comment.

Police told KBTX that they are speaking with employees at Kent Moore Cabinets which ‘may explain why some people can’t get in touch with relatives who work there now.’

One worker told the outlet that all of the shooting victims are men.

‘To me, I was hiding like 10 minutes in a real small place. I think we are very lucky and blessed to be talking to you right now at this moment. I am still in shock because I think we live in a very peaceful community and nothing happens ever,’ the female worker said.

‘Everyone told me that this guy is very calm and everything, I don’t know why he decide to do this.’

The worker, who is a painter for the cabinet maker, told a KBTX reporter that she heard loud booms and thought that a machine was malfunctioning before another coworker grabbed her and told her to run. 

A former employee told KBTX that a couple hundred people work in the building.

The suspect was eventually taken into custody in the tiny town of Iola, officials said, about 30 miles from where the shooting happend

The suspect was eventually taken into custody in the tiny town of Iola, officials said, about 30 miles from where the shooting happend

The Texas shooting, pictured, comes during a month of deadly mass shootings across the country, including one in South Carolina on Wednesday

The Texas shooting, pictured, comes during a month of deadly mass shootings across the country, including one in South Carolina on Wednesday

An aerial view shows the heavy police and EMS response to the mass shooting in Bryan, Texas

An aerial view shows the heavy police and EMS response to the mass shooting in Bryan, Texas

Bryan Police Lt. Jason James provided updates on the shooting in a brief press conference

Bryan Police Lt. Jason James provided updates on the shooting in a brief press conference

The nearby Jane Long Intermediate School was put on a brief lockdown while cops hunted for the suspect that was lifted before school dismissal began, The Eagle reported.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has sent agents and dogs to the scene of the shooting, spokesman Deon Washington said. 

The FBI said in a statement to ABC News that it was ‘aware of the incident that occurred today in Bryan.’

Kent Moore Cabinets is headquartered in Bryan and employs more than 600 people across the state, according to the company’s website. 

The company makes custom cabinets and has design centers in neighboring College Station and nearly a dozen Texas cities.

A person who answered the phone Thursday at Kent Moore Cabinets’ headquarters said she could not provide any information on the shooting.

One worker told KBTX that all of the shooting victims are men and that she heard booms she thought were equipment malfunctioning at the plant

One worker told KBTX that all of the shooting victims are men and that she heard booms she thought were equipment malfunctioning at the plant

The Texas shooting comes during a month of deadly mass shootings across the country, including one in South Carolina on Wednesday when a former NFL player gunned down five people.

The victims in that shooting included a beloved doctor and his two grandchildren – as well as the shooter, 32-year-old Phillip Adams who played cornerback for teams including the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots.

Last month, a 9-year-old boy, his mother and two others at an office complex in California on March 31. Another 10 victims were killed at a massacre at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado on March 22. On March 16, eight people were killed, six of whom were Asian women, in Georgia.

Just hours before the Texas shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted in support of Second Amendment rights after President Joe Biden announced a slew of gun control measures.

‘Biden is threatening our 2nd Amendment rights. He just announced a new liberal power grab to take away our guns. We will NOT allow this in TX,’ Abbott tweeted.

‘It’s time to get legislation making TX a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary State passed and to my desk for signing.’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot tweeted about Second Amendment rights just hours before the shooting

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot tweeted about Second Amendment rights just hours before the shooting

George P. Bush, Texas Land Commissioner, also tweeted before the shooting in Bryan

George P. Bush, Texas Land Commissioner, also tweeted before the shooting in Bryan

Greg Abbott later tweeted directly about the shooting in Bryan and the 'swift response' from law enforcement

Greg Abbott later tweeted directly about the shooting in Bryan and the ‘swift response’ from law enforcement

Julian Castro also tweeted about the shooting, noting it is the 14th mass shooting in Texas alone this year

Julian Castro also tweeted about the shooting, noting it is the 14th mass shooting in Texas alone this year

George P. Bush, Texas Land Commissioner, also tweeted before the shooting.

‘Let me be clear: President Biden’s gun control policies are not welcome in Texas. Texans will not allow the federal government to once again overstep and strip us of our constitutional rights,’ Bush tweeted.

After the shooting, Abbott said he and his wife would be ‘praying for the victims.’

‘I have been working closely with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers as they assist local law enforcement on a swift response to this criminal act,’ Abbott said in a statement.

‘Their efforts led to the arrest of the shooting suspect. The state will assist in any way needed to help prosecute the suspect.’

He added: ‘Cecilia and I are praying for the victims and their families and for the law enforcement officer injured while apprehending the suspect.’ 

Biden had announced a half-dozen executive actions on Thursday to combat what he called an ‘epidemic and an international embarrassment’ of gun violence in America.

Biden’s new steps include a move to crack down on ‘ghost guns,’ homemade firearms that lack serial numbers used to trace them and are often purchased without a background check. 

He’s also moving to tighten regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces like the one used in the Boulder shooting last month.

The president’s actions delivered on a pledge he made last month to take what he termed immediate ‘common-sense steps’ to address gun violence, after a series of mass shootings drew renewed attention to the issue.