CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Two employees were killed Monday morning in a shooting at a plastics plant in Cleveland, police say, and as of Monday afternoon, the suspect is still not in custody.
Right now, authorities are gathered outside a home they believe to be the suspect, who they say is an employee.
Cleveland Police say the two victims are supervisors, and German citizens. But police have not yet identified them.
This happened a little after 10 a.m. at Barku Plastics, which is just off Old Chattanooga Pike, south and west of downtown Cleveland.
Officers with the Cleveland Police Department responded to reports of gunfire at the facility.
When they arrived, they found two men dead inside. Both were identified as Barku Plastics employees.
Investigators are treating the case as a double homicide.
“It is a very traumatic thing,” Evie West with Cleveland Police says.
Police say the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle that was later found at a residence in Bradley County, outside the city limits.
Police believe the suspect was a former employee of Barku Plastics.
“We’re gonna have to talk to several different people to find out more information on the suspect, more information on the victims,” West says.
West adds that they believe the victims were supervisors of the suspect at Barku Plastics and that they were of German descent.
Photo: WTVC
The Cleveland Police Department says it is working with the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team as the investigation continues.
Until the suspect is caught, authorities are urging locals to avoid the area.
“We are taking every precaution to make sure that the houses are that are around the perimeter… we’re careful with them.”
Photo: WTVC
Barku Plastics LLC is a custom plastic injection molding and profile extrusion company established in Cleveland in 2003. It operates as a subsidiary of Barku Kunststofftechnik GmbH, a German company founded in 1977.
The Cleveland facility specializes in producing high-quality plastic components for various industries, including automotive, agriculture, and consumer goods.
Depend on us to bring you updates on this developing story as we get them.
