SMITHSBURG, Md. — Joe Louis Esquivel came into work as usual on Thursday, June 9. He was working as a machinist at Columbia Machine Inc. on Bikle Road in Smithsburg, Maryland, and was described as a relatively quiet person at work. The 23-year-old had been late to the plant a few times recently, but that week, he had started coming in on time again.
Later that Thursday, he'd go on to mess up a part he was working on - his coworker assured him it was no big deal, court documents say; no one confronted Esquivel or got into an argument with him about it, the coworker said.
The normalcy came to a clear halt after the man from Hedgesville, West Virginia, ended his work day around 2:30 p.m. Just 10 minutes after the messed-up part incident, he went out to his car, retrieved a semi-automatic handgun, and began firing into the employee breakroom. Workers began running for their lives and trying to hide in a nearby field, the documents say.
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The three men who were killed as a result of the gunfire have been identified as 50-year-old Mark Alan Fry; 31-year-old Charles Edward Minnick Jr; and 30-year-old Joshua Robert Wallace. The fourth victim, 42-year-old Brandon Chase Michael, was shot in his left arm, thigh and right wrist. He was taken to the hospital that day, critically injured.
Officials said Esquivel fled the scene in a bronze Mitsubishi Eclipse and that Maryland State Police officers quickly found the suspect. During that time, officers and the suspect shot at each other, wounding both the suspect and an officer. Both were sent for medical treatment.
The injured trooper was identified by police on Monday as Detective Sergeant Phillip Martin, who works for the criminal enforcement division western region. MSP also identified Lieutenant Vincent Upole and Master Trooper David Thompson who were involved in taking Esquivel into custody.
In court Monday, a judge ordered Esquivel to be held without bond. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, in addition to 22 other related charges.