2 killed in shooting at Indiana automotive plant

A 62-year-old woman and her 21-year-old granddaughter were fatally shot Wednesday as they arrived for work at an Indiana automotive plant, according to the local sheriff’s office. 

Clinton County Sheriff Rich Kelly said in a press conference Wednesday that authorities received multiple calls about gunshots in the parking lot of the NHK Seating of America plant in Frankfort, located about 47 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

The sheriff said that Pamela Sled and her granddaughter, Promise Mays, both worked at the plant and were arriving for a shift change around 4:15 p.m. local time. 

Authorities said that the gunman shot and killed the two women before leaving the scene in a blue Ford, after which Kelly said authorities in the area were “able to get him stopped within probably 45 seconds to a minute of him leaving the facility.” 

Kelly said that a short high-speed chase ensued but ended with the suspect crashing his car in a construction zone. 

No other people were injured in the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office. 

Co-workers identified the suspected shooter as Gary C. Ferrell II, 26, who according to Kelly had worked the day shift at the plant.

The sheriff said that the suspect remains in custody with charges pending, adding that authorities were still working to determine a motive. 

“We don’t know what the catalyst was to make this happen,” Kelly said. “This was shift change; there were a lot of other people in the area.” 

The sheriff at one point became visibly emotional during the news conference, saying “the tragedies that Clinton County has faced today is something that will never … go unforgotten and unnoticed,” pausing as he choked up. 

NHK Seating, which manufactures interior seating for vehicles, posted on Facebook Wednesday evening that it would be canceling both shifts scheduled for Thursday, with production planned to resume Friday. 

The company also provided the phone number for employees to contact the Mental Health America Crisis Line.