UPDATE: 9:00 p.m. ET: HESSTON, Kan. (AP) — A sheriff says four people, including a gunman, are dead after a series of shootings in south-central Kansas.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton gave the updated death count at a news conference Thursday night.
Walton says all the dead were shot inside Excel Industries, which makes lawn mower products, in Hesston. He says law enforcement killed the suspect, who was an employee.
He says 14 people were injured in the attacks, which took place at four locations.
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Authorities in a small Kansas town responded to a shooting late Thursday afternoon that left "as many as three to four" dead and up to 20 injured, police said.
The suspected male gunman was shot and killed by responding officers, according to Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton. A motive was not immediately clear.
Law enforcement on the scene of an active shooter. Employees of Excel industries tell me they heard gun shots & ran. https://t.co/EYRchouQpK— Avery Anderson (@Avery Anderson)1456442929.0
Walton said there were a "number of crime scenes," including Excel Industries in Hesston where a large law-enforcement presence remained on scene.
Police surrounding excel industries . https://t.co/8bZvXiE4df— Deb Farris KAKE News (@Deb Farris KAKE News)1456445678.0
Following the shooting, Kansas officials offered their prayers for those in the area.
Praying for the victims of this senseless act of violence, their loved ones and for the safety of all those in Hesston.— Senator Pat Roberts (@Senator Pat Roberts)1456446733.0
Hesston is a community of about 3,700 residents about 35 miles north of Wichita.
The Associated Press contributed to the report.
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