Minnesota factory workers subdue armed person at plant

By The Associated Press

New York Mills. (Pexels)

NEW YORK MILLS, Minn. (AP) — A 21-year-old man who fired a shot at a co-worker during a dispute at a Minnesota boat factory Thursday was subdued by other workers as he tried to flee, preventing any serious injuries, authorities said.

Officers responding to a call about an active shooter found the man being held by his co-workers at the Lund Boat Company in New York Mills, Minnesota, Otter Tail County Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons said.

Fitzgibbons said in a news release that the two men were arguing inside the plant when the 21-year-old pulled a handgun and fired one shot, which did not strike the 31-year-old intended victim.

One other shot was “possibly” fired as the shooter chased the other man out of the factory, Fitzgibbons said. The victim escaped unharmed.

When the suspect tried to get back inside the factory, a worker held the door shut and prevented him from entering, according to the sheriff.

When the suspect tried to run away, other workers caught him and held him for officers, Fitzgibbons said.

“If it wasn’t for the quick actions of the staff here, it could have been a much different outcome,” he said. “They intervened, they acted quickly and as a result we didn’t have any additional people shot at or injured. They did a fantastic job.”

The unidentified person is being held in the Otter Tail County jail awaiting the filing of charges.

The sheriff said in an earlier news briefing that one person suffered a minor injury, which might not have been connected to the attempted shooting.

In a statement, the company thanked the workers involved in stopping the shooter. There will be increased security at the plant when it reopens Monday.

“The health and safety of our employees and the New York Mills community is our No. 1 priority, and we are fortunate that there were no injuries during this morning’s incident,” the statement said.

Lund was founded in 1948 in New York Mills, which is about 170 miles (274 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Brunswick Corp. and employs about 85 workers in New York Mills.