A suspect is in custody after two women were shot and killed outside of the NHK factory in Frankfort Wednesday afternoon. The shooting began after 4 p.m. during a shift change at the factory. The two victims, Promise Mays, 21, and Pamela Sledd, 62, were grandmother and granddaughter according to police.
Clinton County Sheriff Rich Kelly said suspect Gary Ferrell II was apprehended after a brief police pursuit that ended with Ferrell crashing his car into construction along State Road 28 headed into Frankfort. The motives for the shooting remain unclear.
“At this time I can’t say they were randomly or that they were targeted. It’s one of those things that in the furtherance of this investigation with our detectives we will find out more information,” he said.
“At glance they work together, we don’t know what the catalyst was to make this happen,” Kelly added. “This was shift change, there were a lot of other people in the area, in the general area. The cafeteria that was right there where everybody was crossing paths. We will look into it and we will find out. That’s for sure.”
Ferrell fled the scene following the shooting and was taken into custody after crashing into a construction zone along State Road 28, heading into Frankfort.
Kelly said he expects charges against Ferrell to be filed within the next 48 hours.
In a statement, NHK Seating of America said they were “shocked and saddened” by the events and extended their sympathy to the families, friends, and coworkers of the victims.
The company, which manufactures seats for vehicles, said it will halt production Thursday with plans to resume Friday. Counseling will also be made available to staff.
Correction: A previous version of this story identified one of the victims as Pamela Sled; her last name is Sledd. The suspect's full name was not Gary Ferrell, as previously written, but Gary Ferrell II.