Alabama shooting: 2 dead, 2 hurt after employee opens fire at Albertville plant

ALBERTVILLE, Ala. — Police have identified the two people killed Tuesday morning when a Mueller Co. employee opened fire on co-workers while working at a plant in Albertville.

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Police Chief Jamie Smith said Michael Lee Dobbins and David Lee Horton, both of Boaz, died after being shot inside of the facility early Tuesday by a co-worker identified as Andreas Deon Horton, 34. Smith said police were investigating possible ties between the three, although he added on Tuesday morning that officials did not immediately see any familial connections between David Lee Horton and Andreas Deon Horton.

Smith said Andreas Deon Horton was working before 2:30 a.m. when he “presented a handgun and began to fire an unknown amount of rounds at fellow employees.” Two other employees, identified as Casey Sampson and Isaac Byrd, both of Albertville, were injured in the shooting.

The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. at the plant on Industrial Boulevard, WHNT and WAFF reported.

Emergency crews rushed Sampson and Byrd to Marshall Medical Center South for treatment of their injuries, according to officials. Smith said the pair have since been transported to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The extent of their injuries and their conditions were not immediately known.

Smith said officials found Andreas Deon Horton dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after the shooting. He was found shortly before 6 a.m. in a Jeep Cherokee found in Guntersville that had been seen leaving the Mueller Co. plant hours earlier, the chief said.

“Currently, officers are also still working toward any motive as to why -- what may have sparked or caused the shooting,” Smith said at a news conference Tuesday. “Hopefully we’ll learn something more about that in the coming days as the investigation unfolds and the detectives get to talk to, you know, possible witnesses and initial responding officers to the scene.”

The shooting happened in a part of the Mueller Co. plant where fire hydrants and pipes are painted, AL.com reported, citing friends working the overnight shift.

In a statement shared by Smith, officials with the Mueller Co. said they were “shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific tragedy that occurred early this morning at our Albertville, Alabama, facility.

“Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones, the Albertville community and the entire Mueller family during this extremely difficult time,” the statement said. “Our entire focus is on the health and well-being of our colleagues, and we are committed to providing any and all support to them and their families. We continue to work closely with law enforcement, in whom we share our deepest gratitude for their support.”

Multiple law enforcement agencies, including Albertville police, Boaz police and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, were at the scene following the shooting, according to WHNT.

“There is no threat (to) the surrounding area,” police said in an update around 8 a.m. local time. “Businesses in the industrial park are safe to conduct business as normal.”

Authorities continue to investigate.

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