Tragedy struck a Tennessee plastics facility on Monday morning when a man opened fire, resulting in the deaths of two employees, including the vice president of the company. The suspect was later discovered deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
While the medical examiner has yet to confirm the shooter’s identity, the victims have been named as Ivan Aldergot, vice president of Barku Plastics located in Cleveland, roughly 30 miles from Chattanooga, and Tobias Gleinig, another employee. This information comes from a report by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Barku Plastics operates as a division of the German firm Barku Kunststofftechnik GmbH, established in 1977. The Tennessee branch began its operations in 2003. According to his LinkedIn profile, Aldergot had been with the company for almost five years.
Local law enforcement responded to an emergency call reporting gunshots just before 10:30 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered the bodies of Aldergot and Gleinig and quickly identified a suspect who had fled the scene in a vehicle, as covered by the Cleveland Daily Banner. The suspect’s vehicle was traced to a residence in Bradley County, outside Cleveland city limits, prompting a SWAT team deployment.
Following a tense six-hour standoff, police utilized robotic technology to enter the suspect’s home, where they found him deceased.
Authorities are continuing their investigation, and additional details are expected to follow.
