Indiana shooting: Auto plant employee kills 2 co-workers, police say

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for August 18

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

A woman and her granddaughter were killed Wednesday after a gunman opened fire at an automotive plant in central Indiana, according to authorities.

The shooting happened during a shift change around 4:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the NHK Seating of America plant in Frankfort, about 45 miles north of Indianapolis.

The women killed in the shooting were identified as Promise Mays, 21, and her grandmother Pamela Sled, 62, according to the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office.

INDIANAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER SHOT, WOUNDED ON CITY'S NORTHEAST SIDE: REPORTS

Gary C Ferrell II (Clinton County Sheriff's Office)

The suspected shooter, Gary C. Ferrell II, 26, of Frankfort, fled the scene in a blue Ford Focus but was apprehended by police shortly after, Sheriff Richard Kelly told reporters.

"It ended in Frankfort city with a vehicle crash," Kelly said, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier. "The suspect wasn't injured in the crash and has been taken into custody and is being detained at this time at the Clinton County Sheriff's Office."

Kelly said speeds in the brief chase approached 100 mph and the suspect was taken into custody without incident.

Ferrell and the victims were all employees at the facility, he added. Mays and Sled were arriving for work at the time of the shooting, while Ferrell worked a different shift and was not working.

"I know from talking to some of the workers and the staff at NHK America that they have worked together in the past. They do know each other," Kelly said, according to the paper. 

INDIANA WOMAN CONVICTED IN MURDER OF 10-YEAR-OLD STEPDAUGHTER FOUND STRANGLED, STUFFED IN TRASH BAG

No motive had been determined, and it was not yet known if the women were targeted or were victims of a random attack, the sheriff added.

The plant, which designs and makes seating for vehicles, opened in June. Kelly said it shut down production for the day after the shooting.

In a statement Wednesday night, NHK said it was "shocked and saddened by these events."

"Our prayers and sympathy go out to the friends, families, and co-workers of the victims," NHK said, according to the Journal & Courier.

Ferrell was jailed pending the filing of formal charges. Kelly said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"We are working feverishly with the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office to gather evidence and statements so that we may move forward with charges in the next couple of days," he added, according to FOX 59 Indianapolis. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report