Gunman killed by police in shooting at SmileDirectClub plant

Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Fri. 6 August 2021

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., U.S.: A shooting at SmileDirectClub’s Nashville manufacturing facility was carried out by an active employee and resulted in three workers being injured and the gunman being fatally shot by police, according to CNN.

CNN reported that the shooter entered SmileDirectClub’s (SDC) manufacturing facility in the Nashville suburb of Antioch during a shift change just before 6 a.m. on August 3 and shot a manager and two security guards. Officers from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) arrived at the scene and fatally wounded the shooter after he failed to comply with orders to drop his weapon. The shooter was pronounced dead later that morning at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The security guards were being treated in a local hospital—one was in a critical condition and the other in a stable condition—and the manager had been treated and released from hospital, CNN said, citing police reports.

The shooter was identified by CNN as 22-year-old active SDC employee, Antonio King, who had worked for SDC from late 2019 to early 2020 and had returned to the company in June this year.

The company said in a press release: “SmileDirectClub is shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic incident that took place at our manufacturing facility this morning. We are grateful for the swift actions taken by our team members, security personnel and Metro Nashville Police in responding to, and quickly containing, the situation.”

SDC confirmed that one of its staff members had been shot when he intercepted the gunman and that two security guards who worked for a contracted third-party security company had been shot and were being treated at local hospitals.

According to the MNPD investigation, King was armed with a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol and fired more than 20 shots. MNPD said that the actions taken by its officers were under review. “This investigation is in the early stages, and will take time to complete. In the coming days, the [Tennessee Bureau of Investigation] and the Davidson County District Attorney’s office will continue to analyze this incident,” CNN quoted MNPD spokesperson Kristin Mumford as saying.

The clear aligner manufacturer, which was the victim of a substantial cyberattack in June, tweeted on the afternoon of August 3: “The safety of our team members is a top priority for our company and we maintain strict security protocols and a no weapons policy at all of our facilities. We are working with the local police as they investigate this matter.”

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