Standoff at New Jersey UPS facility ends with police shooting suspect

A standoff at a United Parcel Service Inc sorting facility in New Jersey that began on Monday morning when an armed man opened fire and held two employees at gunpoint ended a few hours later when police shot him and freed the hostages, officials and UPS said.

The unidentified suspect, who had barricaded himself and two women inside the UPS facility in Logan Township in the southern part of the state, was taken to a hospital after police rushed him, Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles Fiore told reporters.

“The condition of the suspect is unknown at this point in time, but the matter has in fact been resolved,” Fiore said shortly after noon EST (1700 GMT).

Neither of the hostages were seriously injured, Fiore said, and there were no reports of any other casualties.

Asked if the gunman knew either of the hostages, Fiore said “there was apparently a relationship between the man and one of the women, that’s correct, a prior relationship.”

Police dispatched a SWAT team to the location, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of downtown Philadelphia, at about 8:30 a.m. EST (1330 GMT) when the hostage situation was first reported, local media said.

UPS praised the police for their handling of the situation and said all of its employees were safe.

“The incident is concluded and all of the employees are accounted for and being attended to by local officials,” the company said in a statement.

Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Frances Kerry and Marguerita Choy