by The Cowl Editor on September 27, 2018
National and Global News
By Micaela Freeman ’20
In our society today, mass shootings are an unfortunate reality that people all around the world have to deal with.
On Thursday, September 20, Snochia Moseley, 26, opened fire in a Rite Aid distribution center near Aberdeen, Maryland. The shooting resulted in three fatalities and several injuries before Moseley turned the gun on herself, according to authorities.
Moseley was a Rite Aid employee for two weeks before the shooting, becoming progressively irritated with the job during her time there.
On the day of the shooting, she showed up to work as she normally would. Moseley reportedly had left the warehouse for a break and returned with pepper spray, handcuffs, and a handgun. She opened fire around 9 a.m., and authorities were contacted almost immediately afterwards.
Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler told CNN that he was unsure of Moseley’s motives and could not make sense of what had happened in his town. “There’s just no way to make sense of something that’s so senseless,” Gahler told CNN after the shooting.
At the time of the shooting, there were over 65 employees in the building’s vicinity. The first victim was shot outside and within five minutes, deputies, FBI, first responders, and other authorities were on the scene.
“It appears to be a single weapon that was used, a single handgun,” Gahler explained. “We do not believe that there is an additional threat anywhere to our Harford County community.”
Gahler mentioned that Moseley was diagnosed with a mental illness several years ago, and her friends and family members reported that in recent weeks she had become “increasingly agitated and that they were concerned for her well-being.”
Along with the Aberdeen shooting, three total workplace shootings took place within 24 hours of each other.
The shooting in Aberdeen, Maryland followed two other shootings, one in Middleton, Wisconsin and the other in Masontown, Pennsylvania. The total count of combined fatalities and injuries from the three shootings is 16.
Along with these three recent shootings, there were also reports of shootings this past June and August in Annapolis, Maryland and Edgewood, Maryland.
Harford County Chief Executive Barry Glassman, told NPR that shootings are “becoming a too often occurrence, not only in Harford County, but in the country.”
Thursday’s shooting has brought to light the fact that shootings are becoming more and more of a reality today.