A transportation supervisor for turkey company Plainville Farms was fatally shot outside the company’s distribution facility in Oxford Township, Pennsylvania, around 5:23 a.m. August 21.
The alleged shooter, in turn, took his own life, according to authorities with the Eastern Adams Regional Police Department (EARPD).
According to a message on the EARPD Facebook page, officers responded to the scene and found two men lying motionless in the facility’s parking lot. The men were identified as John Frey, 58, York, Pennsylvania; and Phillip Michael Hughes, 75, Marshville, North Carolina.
An employee witness who identified himself as the person who made the 911 call told EARPD he did not witness the shootings, but heard three gun shots and took cover for his own protection, the EARPD statement said. However, the witness said he observed the shooter driving a white Dodge Caravan up and down the driveway in a suspicious manner.
Frey apparently arrived to work around 5:20 a.m., when he was apparently confronted by Hughes. It was determined that Hughes, who was an independent trucking contractor and was fired by Frey the day before the incident, shot Frey in the head two times at point-blank range before shooting himself.
The Adams County coroner pronounced both men dead around 5:50 a.m.
Plainville Farms, which called the incident a “terrible, senseless tragedy,” released the following statement to regional media outlet WGAL: “Plainville Farms is working closely with law enforcement in their investigation of this fatal incident that involved a manager at Plainville and an independent contractor. Plainville Farms is a family and we are in mourning. Counseling will be provided to all of our employees to help with the healing process. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families that have been affected by this tragedy.”
Plainville Farms recently underwent a change in ownership. The former turkey division of Hain Celestial subsidiary Hain Pure Protein was acquired by Plainville Brands LLC, a newly-formed investor group. Hain Celestial sold its chicken operations, FreeBird, to Aterian Investment Partners several months later.
