Sheriff: 4 Dead, 14 hurt in mass shooting

The Associated Press contributed to this report


A sheriff says four people, including a gunman, are dead after a series of shootings in Hesston, Kansas.

The account as it unfolded appears below.

Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton gave the updated death count at a news conference Thursday night.

He said four people are dead, including a suspect, and up to 20 people may be injured the series of attacks.

Walton said 14 people were injured in the attacks, which took place at four locations.

Walton said at a news conference Thursday evening that there are "a number of crime scenes involved," including the Excel Industries plant where dispatchers earlier said they were responding to a shooting.

He says the Sheriff's Office is investigating the attacks along with the FBI and Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Police say the alleged Excel Industries shooter was shot and killed by law enforcement. Authorities also said that the shooter was an Excel Industries employee.

KWCH identified the alleged shooter as Cedric Ford. He reportedly was a painter at Excel.

Ford's Facebook profile included images of an assault rifle and a handgun. KWCH says that Ford had a criminal history in Florida.

According to the company website, Excel Industries is a manufacturer of turf care products. Hesston is a community of about 3,700 residents about 35 miles north of Wichita.

Excel Industries was awarded the Governor's Exporter of the Year award in 2013 from the Kansas Department of Commerce. The company, founded in Hesston in 1960, manufactures Hustler and Big Dog mowing equipment.

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