Groveport police have been unable to identify the woman fatally shot at a SK Food Group facility on Monday and the alleged gunman who died by suicide electrocution afterwards because they were not in the U.S. legally.
Groveport police Lt. Josh Short told The Dispatch on Tuesday that the female and male involved in the incident at SK Food Group, located at 3301 Toy Road, both worked there and did not give their employer their real names when they were hired.
“The names that were provided to the employer are fraudulent,” Short said in an email.
Active shooter reported: Woman, suspect dead after domestic dispute leads to shooting at Groveport food facility
Detectives from Groveport met with representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at the Franklin County Coroner’s office on Tuesday. Attempts were made to identify the woman and the man through their fingerprints, Short said, but those results have been inconclusive.
“According to Homeland Security, both were here under ‘non-lawful status,'” Short said.
The murder-suicide is believed to have been the result of a domestic dispute, he said.
Groveport police, the Franklin County Sheriff’s office and other law enforcement agencies responded around 5:20 a.m. Monday on a report of an active shooter at SK Food.
The woman, who had been shot in a locker area in the facility, was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where she died.
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Short said the alleged gunman fled the building after unsuccessfully trying to shoot himself, ran a short distance and climbed a utility pole. Once high on the pole, the man apparently intentionally contacted live high power lines, leading to his electrocution, he said.
The firearm used to fatally shoot the woman has not yet been recovered, Short said.
Detectives have been trying to interview coworkers and those who were believed to be acquaintances of the man and woman, Short said, but witnesses have been “reluctant” to speak with police.
Short said police are working to confirm the identities of the man and woman through other means.
The Dispatch has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to see if they are conducting any follow-up investigation with SK Food Group about how the two dead workers were hired and whether any other employees were being reviewed.
About 500 employees evacuated from the facility during the shooting, following an active shooter plan the company had in place, police said.
Anyone with information regarding Monday’s shooting is asked to call Groveport police at 614-830-2060.
@bethany_bruner
