After days of suspense, Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland has finally revealed the identity of the man, who caused the carnage at a factory in Maryland last week, killing at least three people. The man has been identified as 23-year-old Joe Louis Esquivel, who hails from Hedgesville, WV.
A statement by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said, “The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has charged Joe Louis Esquivel, 23, of Hedgesville, WV, has been charged in connection to the June 9, 2022 shooting at Columbia Machine, Inc. Esquivel has been charged with the following crimes:
• Murder 1st Degree
• Murder 1st Degree
• Murder 1st Degree
• Murder 2nd Degree
• Murder 2nd Degree
• Murder 2nd Degree
• Assault 1st Degree
• Assault 1st Degree
• Assault 1st Degree
• Assault 2nd Degree
• Assault 2nd Degree
• Assault 2nd Degree
• Attempted 1st Degree Murder
• Attempted 2nd Degree Murder
• Assault 1st Degree
• Assault 2nd Degree
• Reckless Endangerment
• Assault 1st Degree
• Assault 2nd Degree
• Reckless Endangerment
• Handgun in Vehicle
• Loaded Handgun in Vehicle
• Handgun on Person
• Loaded Handgun on Person
• Firearm Use/Fel-Viol Crime.”
The accused is currently being held by the Washington County Detention Center on no bond.
Who Is Joe Louis Esquivel?
Esquivel worked at the same factory in Maryland. There were suspicions that he had some personal grudges against his employers or co-workers at the factory.
The Maryland murderer arrived at work on Thursday and worked normally without raising any suspicions. At around 2.30 PM he left the premises to get a gun from his Mitsubishi Eclipse car after working a full shift at Columbia Machine, Inc. Esquivel returned to the factory and started firing indiscriminately.
Also Read: Who’s Salvador Ramos, killer of 21 people in Texas school? What was his motive?
A statement from the Smithsburg Police Department said, “The investigation into the incident thus far has revealed that the suspect arrived for his normal work shift at Columbia Machine, Inc. and worked throughout the day. Prior to the 911 call at approximately 2:30 PM, the suspect exited the building, retrieved a weapon from his vehicle, and reentered the business. The suspect proceeded to the area of the breakroom and begin to fire upon employees.”
Esquivel killed three people, who were later identified as Mark Frey, 50; Charles Minnick Jr., 31; Joshua Wallace, 30. Another worker, identified as Brandon Chase Michael, 42, was critically injured in the shooting.
Motive, Girlfriend
Joe Louis Esquivel appears to have lived a private life since there is not much trace of his social media activities. The police department has not revealed the motive behind his mass murder. It’s also not clear if he was dating someone.
In the Texas school shooting case, the murderer, Salvador Ramos had interacted with a girl on Instagram before causing the carnage.