A machine operator opened fire Wednesday on his colleagues at a Kronospan wood factory in Switzerland, killing two and wounding seven, police said. The 42-year-old assailant also died. Regional police chief Daniel Bussmann did not comment on reports that the gunman shot himself.
The worker used a handgun during a morning break at the Kronospan wood panel factory in the town of Menznau, near Lucerne. Police said they did not know the man's motive.
"The perpetrator had been with us for more than 10 years. He was a quiet man, we know of no other incidents," said manager Mauro Capozzo.
Kronospan denied media reports that planned layoffs because of a recent poor timber harvest triggered the attack. "The firm has not had layoffs for months," Capozzo said.
A Kronospan worker told local newspaper Neue Luzerner Zeitung that the gunman had developed psychological problems over the past year, even though he was not violent. The government has expressed its condolences to the victims' families.