Police: Employee kills 1, wounds 5 at Texas cabinet business

BRYAN, Texas — A man opened fire Thursday at a Texas cabinet-making company where he worked, killing one person and wounding five others before shooting and wounding a state trooper prior to his arrest, authorities said.

Larry Winston Bollin, 27, of Iola, Texas, was booked into the Brazos County Detention Center in Bryan late Thursday, according to a Bryan Police Department statement. Jail records showed Bollin was charged with murder and being held on a $1 million bond. No attorney was listed for Bollin in the jail record.

Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske told reporters he believes the suspect is an employee at the Kent Moore Cabinets location where the shooting happened. He said investigators believe the man was solely responsible for the attack, which happened around 2:30 p.m., and that he was gone by the time officers arrived.

Two of the five people who were wounded at the business were hospitalized in critical condition, while three others were in serious but stable condition, according to a hospital statement. During the manhunt for the suspect, he shot and wounded a state trooper, who was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on Twitter.

Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell said about two hours after the attack, the suspect was arrested in Bedias, a tiny community about 25 miles (40 kilometres) northeast of Bryan.

Investigators were still trying to determine the motive for the attack, authorities said.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent agents and dogs to the shooting scene, said spokesman Deon Washington. Police asked people to stay away from the business during the investigation.

Bryan is about 100 miles (160 kilometres) northwest of Houston and is near Texas A&M University. With more than 86,000 residents, it is the seat of Brazos County.

A person who answered the phone at Kent Moore Cabinets’ headquarters in Bryan said she couldn’t provide any information on the shooting. The company, which makes custom cabinets, has design centres in nearly a dozen Texas cities and employs more than 600 people, according to its website.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered prayers for shooting victims and their families.

“I have been working closely with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers as they assist local law enforcement on a swift response to this criminal act. Their efforts led to the arrest of the shooting suspect.”

The Associated Press