A man opened fire inside a crowded Maryland shopping center restaurant during lunchtime Wednesday and wounded a sheriff’s deputy, then exchanged gunfire with another deputy outside, authorities said.
The suspect was killed in the shootout, Hartford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. The second deputy was also wounded.
The first shooting took place inside a Panera restaurant in Abingdon in northeastern Maryland after a deputy responded to a call at 11:46 a.m. Wednesday about someone causing a problem inside, the sheriff said. The responding deputy was wounded, and the shooter left.
After getting a good description of the suspect, at least one deputy caught up with him. Shots were exchanged, leaving the second deputy wounded and the suspect dead, the sheriff said. No one else was hurt.
“I saw two women and a child run from Panera to our back door. They were hysterical. They said they heard gunshots,” said bartender Mike Davis, who was working at the Ocean City Brewing Co.’s Taphouse. “We locked the door and went to talk to a cop. The cop said not to let anyone in. Then, we heard more gunshots, ‘Pop, pop, pop, pop,’ from down in the shopping center. It was hectic.”
The sheriff said investigators believe the person acted alone and there is no further threat to the community.
Check back for updates.
