Gunman kills five at US factory

There were initial fears of a terrorist attack

A gunman has killed five people at the Mississippi plant of defence contractor Lockheed Martin before turning the gun on himself.

The shootings happened on Tuesday when an employee at the aircraft factory in Meridian opened fire on colleagues with a shotgun and a semi-automatic rifle.

The BBC's Nick Bryant said the local sheriff's department confirmed six were killed, including the gunman.

At least eight others were wounded in the shooting spree.

Meridian Sheriff Billy Sollie told CNN television that the eight injured had been rushed to hospital in the town of Meridian suffering from serious injuries.

Colleagues' concerns

He said the killings appeared to be random, adding that "several of the victims were found at their workstations".

"He went through the entire plant, shooting individuals through the facility. There was no one small area," he said.

"This is unexpected and has taken everyone off guard."

Our correspondent said employees at the factory had raised concerns about the gunman with their managers, complaining that he seemed mentally disturbed.

The reason behind this attack is not yet clear.

Lockheed Martin supplies more parts and weapons to the Pentagon than any other company in the US and there had been initial fears that it was a terrorist incident.

But the sheriff's department does not believe that was the motive, our correspondent said.

John Smith, the town's mayor, said Meridian had been hit hard by the attack.

There's shock, there's horror and great, great grief John Smith Mayor of Meridian

"There's shock, there's horror and great, great grief," he told CNN.

"It's not supposed to happen in a city like Meridian."

Officials at the plant declined to comment.

But Meaghan Mariman, speaking from the company's headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, said: "We're just trying to gather information and are working with state and local authorities to determine the details of the incident."

The plant employs 130 people and builds structural subassemblies for the C-130J Hercules transport plane and the F-22 Raptor fighter-bomber.