Gunman kills five at manufacturing plant in US

A gunman opened fire at a manufacturing plant in suburban Chicago yesterday, killing five people and wounding five police officers before he was fatally shot, police said.

Aurora, Illinois, Police Chief Kristen Ziman told a news conference the gunman was 45-year-old Gary Martin, believed to be an employee at the Henry Pratt Co. in the city about 65km west of Chicago.

Officers arrived within four minutes of receiving reports of the shooting and were fired upon as soon as they entered the manufacturing warehouse. Police said they did not know the gunman’s motive.

Hospitals reported treating at least seven patients from the shooting. Two officers were airlifted to trauma centres in Chicago, Ziman said.

Dozens of first responder vehicles converged on the building housing the company in Aurora after police received multiple calls of an active shooter at 1.24pm local time. Several ATF teams and the FBI also responded.

The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting and monitoring the situation as he prepared to depart for a weekend trip to his home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump tweeted his thanks to law enforcement officers in Aurora and offered his condolences to victims and their families.

“America is with you.”

Presence Mercy Medical Centre was treating two patients and a third had been transferred by helicopter to another hospital, spokesman Matt Wakely said. Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital and Advocate Lutheran General Hospital each had one patient from the shooting, spokeswoman Kate Eller said. Rush Copley Medical Centre was treating three patients from the shooting for non-life threatening injuries, spokeswoman Courtney Satlak said.