DMAX Plant Shooting: Mental health impacts could linger for workers after shooting

MORAINE — The DMAX manufacturing plant in Moraine was closed Friday following Thursday night’s shooting.

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News Center 7 learned Friday the shooting had to do with a domestic feud between two male employees over a female worker.

Even though it was targeted, this workplace shooting could have a lingering impact on hundreds of DMAX workers.

News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis spoke with a clinical psychologist about what those employees can do to deal with this.

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The scene was much calmer Friday night but the question is how workers will feel when come back to work when the plant reopens.

“Some employees will never feel safe going back into that building,” said Dr. Kathy Platnoi, Clinical Psychologist. “That’s why it’s so important to provide access to mental health services.”

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Lewis said Moraine Police think a couple of hundred workers were inside the DMAX manufacturing plant Thursday night when the shooting happened. They heard gunshots and ran, including Brian Smith.

“To actually experience something like that, it shakes you up,” he said. “It scares you.”

Platoni described what Smith and other workers may be going through.

“People typically will experience shock, horror, grief, disillusionment, anger, rage, sadness, shock, this isn’t supposed to happen, it will never happen, here is what we all think,” she told Lewis.

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Platoni says when a workplace shooting happens the employee should have mental health services available.

“Nobody’s going to get out of this unscathed, very sadly,” she said.

Platoni also told Lewis that employees can also do some work on their own.

“Self-care is one of the first and most important things to do to take care of yourself, establish a routine, talk to trusted family and friends and, co-workers,” she said. “Don’t be alone with this. You can’t brush something like this off. Trauma is so unforgettable.”

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Platoni said to Lewis it could take a while for some workers to feel comfortable with walking into the DMAX plant again and it’s important if people see something, they something.

“I think that we live in such a dangerous culture, we’ve had more mass shootings this year than any other year previously, I think all of us need to be very aware of the pathway to violence and look for signs if people aren’t behaving as they normally do,” she said. “They’re late to work or they’re not showing up to work, they’re angry at work. That needs to be reported up the chain of command, we need to take all threats seriously.”

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Lewis says DMAX has canceled production until further notice and there is no word yet on when the plant will reopen.

News Center 7 will continue to provide updates on this developing story.

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