CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia man has been indicted for a June 9 shooting at a Maryland machine shop as well as an ensuing altercation with law enforcement.
Joe Louis Esquivel, 23, of Hedgesville, allegedly shot and killed three coworkers at Columbia Machine Inc. in Smithsburg, Maryland. According to authorities, he worked part of his regular shift before leaving the building to retrieve a weapon. When he walked into the building, he fired multiple shots at employees who were near a breakroom.
Police also found a wounded person outside.
After Esquivel left the scene in a car, he encountered members of the Maryland State Police and began to fire shots at the troopers. One trooper was injured.
Another trooper wounded Esquivel in the exchange of gunfire.
According to the Associated Press, the grand jury handed down its indictments on June 29. Esquivel has been charged with murder, attempted murder, assault and use of a firearm in a crime of violence.