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General Motors plant shut down after one man dies in ‘altercation’, Michigan police say

Production paused for day amid homicide investigation

Gino Spocchia
Thursday 11 August 2022 14:12 BST
Workers were reportedly turned away from the General Motors plant on Thursday morning
Workers were reportedly turned away from the General Motors plant on Thursday morning (Charlie Langton / WJBK / Fox2 / Twitter)

One man has died inside a General Motors plant in Orion, Michigan, after police said an altercation took place between two individuals earlier on Thursday.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s department confirmed the death on Thursday moring with both individuals described as coworkers at the plant.

It remains unclear exactly how the death occurred, with police telling ClickOnDetroit it was not a shooting incident.

WXYZ, meanwhile, reported that a man was struck in the head with a board, citing the Oakland County Sheriff’s department. This has not been confirmed, however.

In a brief statement on Twitter, the department added that the altercation “resulted in the death of one victim and we have the suspect in custody”.

Police said there was no active danger to the community in Orion or the plant, which will remain closed for the rest of the day while an investigation into the death is carried out.

In a statement seen by WXYZ, General Motors confirmed its plant will be closed and no production will take place on Thursday.

The car manufacturer said it was “working with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department to investigate an incident at the Orion Assembly Plant in Lake Orion, Michigan”.

It continued: “In the meantime, GM has canceled Aug. 11 production at Orion Assembly. Additional details on the incident will be released by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.”

According to WJBK-TV reporter Charlie Langton, workers were turned away from the General Motors plant when turning-up for work as police responded to the scene.

More information is expected later on Thursday.

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