Suspected gunman Lawrence Jones shoots dead co-worker and wounds three others

A factory worker went on a shooting rampage today leaving one colleague dead and three others critically wounded.

Suspected gunman Lawrence Jones, 42, then attempted to commit suicide, police said after opening  fire at 8am inside the meat processing plant in Fresno, Califoia.

A 32-year-old man was killed in the attack. A 34-year-old man was critically injured after being shot in the head, a 28-year-old man was shot in the neck and a woman, 34, was hit by a bullet in the lower back.

Rampage: A gunman shot dead a co-worker at a chicken plant in Fresno, Califoia this moing and injured three others before walking outside and shooting himself

All victims were taken to a nearby hospital but identities would not be released until families had been informed, police said.

Jones reportedly arrived for work at 5am (PST) before he began shooting with a handgun three hours later, close to the cold storage area in the Valley Protein factory.

Police arrived after a 911 call and found Jones in the street with a gunshot wound to the head, according to Fox News.

He is in a critical condition at Community Regional Medical Center with the other victims.  

The suspect, who was on parole, had worked at the plant for 14 months, according to colleagues.

It was unclear what had provoked the shooting but one worker told police that the suspect was acting strangely when he arrived for work.

Apple Valley Farms Inc, a food service equipment company, opened in 2005 and processes poultry.

A call to the company went to a voicemail recording that said: 'Due to an emergency we are closed for the day.'

Terror: A 32-year-old man was killed after a man opened fire in a factory at 8am and three others wounded

Police received calls from employees at the site around 8.27 am,  Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.

Officers found the suspect with a gunshot wound and an injured 32-year-old woman lying outside the business. Inside, they found three other victims.

Some 62 people were inside the plant when the attack took place.