GM halts production at DMAX engine plant in Moraine, Ohio after shooting

General Motors said Friday that production of its diesel engines at a DMAX factory in Ohio will stop in the wake of a fatal shooting Thursday night.

The DMAX Ltd. factory, located in Moraine, which is about 5 miles south of Dayton, is a wholly owned subsidiary of GM. It makes the Duramax 6.6L V-8 turbo-diesel engine offered on GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado heavy-duty pickups made at Flint Assembly plant.

About 9 p.m. Thursday, police responded to an active shooter at the plant. One man was killed and a second victim was wounded. The male suspect also shot himself and was transported to a hospital for treatment, according to an AP report. The identities of the suspect and the victims were not immediately available.

“We are deeply saddened by last night’s tragedy at the DMAX manufacturing facility in Moraine, Ohio,” Plant Director Paul Tanis said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims’ families and all those impacted by this incident. We are working with local authorities on the investigation. In the meantime, DMAX has canceled production until further notice.”

The plant employs about 984 people and it has made 2.7 million Duramax diesel engines since its launch in 2000, according to GM.

There has been no impact yet on Flint’s production of heavy duty pickups, GM spokesman David Barnas said Friday, but GM is monitoring the situation. The heavy-duty pickups are GM’s top-sellers that deliver fat profit margins.

A person familiar with Flint’s production told the Detroit Free Press that there is usually “quite a bit of inventory” already built and stored in the system to keep pickup production going for some time without interruption if an engine facility is idled. The person asked to not be named because they are not authorized to share that information publicly.

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