MD Mass Shooter: Victims Named, Motive Unclear

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — While the motive remains unclear about why a shooter opened fire Thursday at a Rite Aid warehouse in Perryman, killing and injuring several people, investigators have learned that the shooter suffered from mental illness. Seven people were shot, and four of them died, including the shooter. Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said Friday that authorities continue to search for clues as to what led to the state's third lethal workplace shooting in 11 months.

The suspect — Snochia Moseley, 26, of Baltimore County — died at the hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the sheriff's office. She was a temporary employee of the Rite Aid facility, where there were 65 people inside at the time, Gahler said.

Three people were killed, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office:

• Sunday Aguda, 45, of the 2900 block of Dunmurry Road in Dundalk; he was shot in the parking lot.
• Brindra Giri, 41, of the 1300 block of Colbury Road in Baltimore County; she was shot inside.
• Hayleen Reyes, 21, of the 400 block of Gusryan Road in Baltimore

Three people were shot and survived, officials said:

• Hassan Mitchell, a 19-year-old man from the 4100 block of Perrywood Court in Harford County
• Wilfredo Villegas, a 45-year-old man from the 7700 block of Mineral Springs Drive in Gathersburg
• Acharya Purna, a 45-year-old man from the 700 block of Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood, New York

A motive for the shooting remains under investigation, and officials are executing a search warrant for the vehicle Moseley drove to work Thursday, which belonged to a friend, to see whether a note or phone may be inside that could provide clues, the sheriff said. Pepper spray and handcuffs were found on her body by police.

"There’s just no way to make sense of something so senseless,” Gahler said. “Frankly...we’re never going to make sense of it." Friends and family members said Moseley had become "increasingly agitated" over the last two weeks, and they were concerned for her well-being, he said. Investigators learned Moseley suffered from a mental illness, which was diagnosed in 2016. The illness was not specified.

Moseley had been working at the Rite Aid facility for less than two weeks. She was hired as part of the up-staffing ahead of the holidays, according to Gahler.

Gahler provided the following timeline about the shootings in a press briefing Friday:

• 6:30 a.m. — Moseley arrived at work.
• 7:21 a.m. — For unknown reasons, she went home to White Marsh in Baltimore County.
• 8:35 a.m. — She arrived back at the gate to the Rite Aid facility.
• 8:53 a.m. — She re-entered the front door to the building.
• 9:05 a.m. — She was seen leaving the building, pulling a hooded shirt over her head, "and that's when the shooting begins," Gahler said, noting it was break time when employees went outside.
• 9:07 a.m. — She re-entered the building, firing 13 rounds.

Moseley used a 9 mm Glock that was legally purchased in March, he said. "It didn't meet the standards for refusal under Maryland law," Gahler said.

"There are two caveats that must be met to in order to be prohibited under state law," Major John "Jack" Simpson said Friday. "One was, and that was she was diagnosed with a mental illness, or a disorder as it's called in the law. The second is that she has to show a propensity of violence toward self or others pre application [for a firearm]....we have not been able to determine that was the situation."

According to Gahler, the shooter used a single handgun. Deputies received a report of shots fired from the Rite Aid distribution center located at 1501 Perryman Road around 9:06 a.m. Authorities were on scene in five minutes.

Two of the victims died at the scene and one died at the hospital, according to Gahler.

The three victims wounded in the shooting have injuries that they are expected to survive, he said, and it was not known whether the shooter had a relationship with any of them or if they were all employed by Rite Aid.

He said an Aberdeen police officer who did not know that Moseley was the shooter pulled her from the building and attempted to render first aid. She was on life support as she left for the hospital, Gahler said. She had shot herself twice; the first time she sustained a graze wound, according to the sheriff.

Anyone with information that may be helpful in the investigation is asked to call the Harford Sheriff Tip Line at 410-836-7788.

There is a community vigil planned for this evening at the Cranberry United Methodist Church. A fund to support the families has been set up with the Victoria Russell Foundation.
— Harford Sheriff (@Harford_Sheriff) September 21, 2018

"We do not believe that there is an additional threat," Gahler said Thursday, as investigators suspect only one shooter was involved. Authorities spent hours clearing the 210,000-square-foot facility where the violence happened, and the sheriff's office tweeted at 12:40 p.m. Thursday that anyone who was still in the building should call 911 so deputies can locate them. "It's a massive building," Gahler said. Law enforcement officers cleared two other businesses in the area that he said were equally large.

Mike Carre, an employee of a furniture logistics operation next to the distribution center where the violence erupted, says he helped tend to a wounded man.

Carre locked the doors of his workplace after the injured man came hobbling in, bleeding from his leg. He called 911 from a bathroom before helping colleagues wrap the man's blood-soaked jeans above his injury to cut off blood flow.

Four people arrived about 10 a.m. at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in southeast Baltimore; all were suffering from gunshot wounds. Dr. Raymond Fang, trauma medical director at Bayview, said two of the patients were stable and doing well Thursday afternoon, while two were "very seriously injured" with gunshot wounds to the torso. Each of the four had a single gunshot wound, the doctor said. One of those at Bayview was the shooter, officials would later report.

"Another tragic event for Harford County. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected," Gahler said at a noon press conference the day of the shooting.

This “is becoming a too-often occurrence, not only in Harford County but in the country,” Harford County Executive Barry Glassman said.

A family reunification center was set up at the Level Volunteer Fire Company, 3633 Level Village Road, in Havre de Grace. Families were directed to call a hotline at 410-838-5800 to learn where their family members were. The hotline was open until 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20. After that time, those who are still trying to get information about their loved ones should go to the southern precinct at 1305 Pulaski Highway in Edgewood.

Want more local news? Get the Aberdeen Patch newsletter.

Alexie Scharmann told WBAL TV that the shooting happened in the Liberty Building, part of the Rite Aid facility, where her mother works. She received a text from her mother telling her that a shooter was inside the workplace.

“I love you both more than u will ever know. There’s a shooter in the building,” Scharmann’s mother texted to her: “I am hiding. I love you." About 10:30 a.m., Scharmann received word that her mother was safely out of the building.

Reggie Rodgriguez's mother works at the distribution center. His wife had tried calling her numerous times but got no answer.

"I was calling her all morning. It went to voicemail because they keep their phones in lockers," said Kelly Rodriguez, 40.

When they finally reached his mother Thursday afternoon, Reggie Rodriguez said, "That's all I wanted to do: Hear her voice." His mother was uninjured. He said she sounded relieved the crisis was over.

SEE ALSO:

• Snochia Moseley: 5 Things To Know About Maryland Shooter
• Perryman Shooting In Photos: Police Search, Bystanders Wait
• Shootings In Harford Spark Gun Violence, Mental Health Talks
• Baltimore Ravens Coordinator Responds To Harford County Shooting
• Perryman Shooting Is Less Than 1 Year After Edgewood Killings
• Vigil Planned For Perryman Shooting Victims
• Perryman Shooter Lived Near White Marsh, Described As 'Quiet'
• Reunification Center Set Up After Perryman Shootings

A spokeswoman for Rite Aid, Susan Henderson, told The Associated Press that the shooting happened at a support facility adjacent to a larger building. The Rite Aid facility remained closed on Friday, Fox 45 reported.

NEW: @riteaid corporate spokesperson said the Perryman Distribution Center in #Aberdeen is closed. They’re assessing when it will reopen. Grief counselors will be made available to workers there. @WMAR2News #AberdeenShooting pic.twitter.com/gRQjqTKeFZ
— Mallory Sofastaii WMAR (@mal_sofastaii) September 20, 2018

Church Creek Elementary School in the 4200 block of Church Creek Road was placed on modified lockdown Thursday morning as a precaution. Located more than 3.5 miles from the scene, it was the school closest to the area. The modified lockdown was lifted Thursday afternoon, Harford County Public Schools spokeswoman Jillian Lader told Patch after 2 p.m.

Gov. Larry Hogan thanked the first responders who were at the scene in five minutes, along with all the medical and law enforcement personnel who are helping in the shooting aftermath.

"The First Lady and I are grieving for the loss of life in today's shooting in Harford County, and praying that those who were injured fully recover," Hogan said. "I remain in close contact with Harford County officials and state and local law enforcement as they continue to investigate."

Democratic gubernatorial challenger Ben Jealous posted: "As we learn more about the shooting in Aberdeen this morning, my heart is with those who were killed and their families, the victims who are injured, and the first responders on the scene. Thank you to our law enforcement and emergency health professionals at local hospitals who are responding to this tragic shooting and working to keep the community as safe as possible."

Paramedics from the White Marsh Volunteer Fire Company responded to the incident, the department said on Facebook.

One of the victims were taken to Christiana Hospital in Delaware, according to Fox 45.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in Baltimore and the FBI Baltimore responded to the shooting.

Perryman Road/MD 159 and Old Philadelphia Road/MD 7 were closed near the shooting scene, but reopened Thursday afternoon.

This is the third high-profile shooting in Maryland within the past year. A gunman killed five people in Annapolis in the Capital Gazette building in June. In October 2017, a Cecil County man opened fire on his co-workers in Edgewood, killing three and injuring two others. He then drove to Delaware, shooting and wounding a sixth person.

According to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive group, the workplace shooting at the Rite Aid distribution center is the 262nd U.S. mass shooting of the year. The organization defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are injured or killed in one location, not including the suspect.

Just horrific. I'm monitoring this carefully, and urge residents to stay clear of the area until further notice. https://t.co/vnJkYPXqUH
— Senator Ben Cardin (@SenatorCardin) September 20, 2018

"I’ve been in touch with local authorities about the shooting in Harford County," Sen. Chris Van Hollen tweeted. "My heart is with the families and victims of those impacted. But words are not enough, we must do more to end the toll of gun violence in our communities."

Perryman is located about 34 miles north of Baltimore.

Help for Those Considering Suicide

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, there are resources to help.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-SUICIDE (or 1-800-784-2433), and its website offers services including a live chat.

Also find resources available around Maryland to help those who are in crisis.

With reporting from Deb Belt, Feroze Dhanoa and Elizabeth Janney. Reporting from The Associated Press was used in this story.

Patch will update this breaking news story.

PHOTOS: Police from multiple departments responded to a mass workplace shooting just after 9 a.m. on Sept. 20 at a Rite Aid warehouse in Harford County. Reports say seven were wounded, and four of those injured have died. Lead photo: Shirley Pollack, of Perryville, Md., reacts to what authorities have called a shooting with multiple victims in Perryman, Md., on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Authorities say multiple people have been shot in northeast Maryland in what the FBI described as an "active shooter situation." Pollack was concerned about her son who worked near the scene of the shooting. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark). Other photos by: Jerry Jackson /The Baltimore Sun via AP.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this article provided an incorrect family hotline number. The error has since been fixed. Patch regrets the error.