Five persons have been killed and several others injured after a gunman opened fire at an industrial park in the US state of Illinois, police said.
The gunman was also killed, a police spokesman said. He added that five police officers also sustained injuries after being hit by gunfire.
The attack on Friday took place in Aurora, a suburb about 65 km from Chicago, the BBC reported.
It comes a day after the first anniversary of a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead.
The shooting is reported to have happened at Henry Pratt Company, a manufacturing firm that makes valves for large water pipes.
Police named the gunman as Gary Martin, 45, who they said was an employee at the industrial park.
Bill Donnell, an elected official in Aurora, told CNN that a number of civilians had been wounded in the shooting.
Chris Southwood of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police described the Aurora officers who attended and were shot at as “courageous”.
“(These) officers and their colleagues did not hesitate to literally put their lives on the line today to stop further bloodshed,” Southwood said in a statement.
An employee at nearby Capitol Printing told ABC7 they had hid in a closet when the shooting began.
Witness John Probst, who works at the plant, told ABC7 that he saw the attacker, whom he recognised as a colleague.
He said the man was carrying a handgun equipped with a laser sight, but this has yet to be confirmed by officials.
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth said: “This is a scary, sad day for all Illinoisans and Americans.”
US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident, according to White House Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. IANS
