Three people were killed in a McMinn County shooting at the Thomas and Betts manufacturing plant.
The shooting was reported as an active shooter situation around Thursday afternoon.
According to officials with the Athens Police Department, angry longtime employee, identified by the TBI as 45-year-old Ricky Swafford, of Athens, Tennessee, started shooting at the steel manufacturing facility around 4:15 p.m.
The shooter used a semi automatic hand gun to shoot and kill 44-year-old James A. Zotter, and 68-year-old Sandra H. Cooley, both of Athens.
Police said Swafford then killed himself. His body was found in a bathroom inside the plant.
According the the preliminary investigation, Swafford was upset during a meeting with his two supervisors, Zotter and Cooley. Investigators said Swafford abruptly left the meeting and returned with the gun a short time later to the office where the supervisors were.
Some employees were able to warn others of an active shooter and evacuated the building. No one else was injured.
Officers told friends or family of those who were at the shooting shortly after the incident that they were at the high school being interviewed.
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded, including McMinn County Sheriff's Office, Athens Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Athens police and the TBI were in charge of the scene.
According to WVLT Local 8 News in Knoxville, the company that owns Thomas and Betts, ABB, issued the following statement.
“Our loss is profound. The ABB family is shocked and saddened by the tragedy at our Thomas & Betts facility in Athens, Tennessee on Thursday afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families during this difficult time. We will have grief counselors available to all of our employees at the facility. ABB is working closely with authorities to cooperate and assist in their investigation.”
