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Gunman killed after taking two women hostage at UPS facility in New Jersey

The shooting was reported around 9 a.m. ET at a facility in Logan Township, which is 25 miles south of Philadelphia.
Image: Police respond to the scene of an active shooter at a UPS mail sorting facility in Logan Township, New Jersey, on Jan. 14, 2019.
Police respond to the scene of an active shooter at a UPS mail sorting facility in Logan Township, New Jersey, on Jan. 14, 2019.Matt Schaffer / NBC10

A hostage situation that lasted several hours at a UPS facility in Logan Township, New Jersey, ended Monday afternoon with the suspect dead after he was shot by police, the Attorney General's Office said.

The incident began around 9 a.m. ET at one of the company's supply chain processing facilities in Gloucester County, about 25 miles south of Philadelphia, when a man identified by authorities as Williams Owens walked inside and fired multiple shots at the ceiling.

Owens, 39, barricaded himself in a room with two women, one of whom is an ex-girlfriend, according to a law enforcement official.

Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles Fiore said during a press conference that the women taken hostage are employees at UPS and were working a shift when Owens stormed inside.

Fiore could not say if Owens also worked for UPS.

A spokesman for UPS said in a statement earlier Monday to NBC News that they "cannot provide information about the identity of people involved at this time."

The women, who have not been identified, were not injured, according to Fiore.

Owens was shot after he and the two hostages had exited the UPS building, the Attorney General's Office said in a press release.

“Multiple members of the law enforcement fired at the man, who was armed with a handgun,” the release said.

Owens was pronounced dead at the scene.

"UPS greatly appreciates the work of the law enforcement personnel," UPS said in another statement. "All of the employees are accounted for and being attended to by local officials. Support services for employees who work at the site will be provided as they recover from this unfortunate incident."