Albertville Mueller plant shooting: Suspect found dead after killing 2
ALBERTVILLE, ALABAMA: Two people were dead and two others were injured during an early morning shooting that went down at the Mueller Corp fire hydrant factory in Albertville on June 15. Police informed that the suspected shooter and vehicle were found dead in Guntersville. Reportedly, the shooter died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to the police, an employee started firing at coworkers at around 2:30 am at Mueller’s plant in an industrial park area that is situated at the city limits of Boaz and Albertville and is home to several companies. In a similar incident back in April 2021, eight people were killed and several others were injured in a shooting at a FedEx warehouse near Indianapolis Airport. According to the police, the suspected gunman killed himself later. A few days ago on June 12, a man was shot dead and a woman was wounded in a barrage of gunfire outside a Bronx church. On June 10, three people were reported dead, including a child, following a shooting inside a Publix supermarket store in Royal Palm Beach.
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What happened at the Albertville Mueller plant?
A press release by police chief Jamie Smith said, "It is with a heavy heart that I report to you a shooting that occurred early this morning. For an unknown reason, an employee of the industry began firing a weapon at fellow employees." According to Smith, after shooting several rounds at his co-workers, the shooter fled the plant in a vehicle. "The person believed to be the shooter and the vehicle were located just before 6 am this morning in the area of Carlisle Street in Guntersville." He added, “The person was deceased from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. There is no danger to the public. Guntersville Police are handling the scene in Guntersville.”
One of the deceased victims was identified as Michael Lee Dobbins, 27. He had been working at Mueller for about 10 months. Dobbins' grandmother, Ann Walters of Boaz said, "He was fixing to buy a home, and he wanted to buy a car for his girlfriend. He was a perfect gentleman, everybody will tell you. He was good to everybody and put his family first." Walters further informed that Dobbins has a 2-year-old daughter, Daisy. She also mentioned that the family was not even aware of the shooting until Dobbins failed to come home from work. "We couldn’t find him," she said. "I’m hurting right now."
One of the other victims was identified as David Horton, 44. Not much is know about Horton but his niece, Allen Horton Jr, a Gadsden resident, came immediately when he heard that his uncle was among the shooting victims. He said, "I don’t know to take it. I’m still in shock. It could have happened anywhere. But we just got word the shooter shot himself. I hate that it went down like that. But I hate it for my family."
Albertville Mayor Tracy Honea said he got the call about the shooting early this morning and was grateful for the quick response of the city’s police department, "It’s certainly a tragic day for the community. Mueller has been a great partner for the city." He further added, "Prayers are probably the number one thing right now. That’s a really strong family unit at Mueller."
The names of the victims or the gunman have not yet been released officially. The two wounded were immediately rushed to Marshall Medical Center South for treatment. Their health conditions are not known at the moment. Detectives are still trying to piece together what led to the three deaths.
Mueller Corp, based in Cleveland, Tennessee, is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Mueller Water Products Inc. It's a leading maker of water distribution and measurement products in North America. More than 400 people work at the plant in Albertville, giving the city in northwest Alabama its nickname of 'Fire Hydrant Capital of the World.'