Guns
A man holds a gun in the exhibit hall of the George R. Brown Convention Center, the site of the NRA's annual meeting in Houston. Reuters

Three people were killed by the owner of a health care company in St. Louis on Thursday, after an argument with his employees turned violent.

The owner later turned the gun on himself, police said, according to Associated Press.

One man and two women were shot dead in the incident that occurred at AK Home Health Care LLC, a business inside the Cherokee Place Business Incubator, police captain Michael Sack told AP. Surveillance footage obtained from the store showed a verbal dispute, which was followed by gunshots penetrating an inside wall.

Other than the four who were killed -- all of whom appeared to be in their late-40s to mid-50s -- no one had entered the building, according to the St. Louis Police Department.

Police rushed to the scene after being called by an employee of another business in the same building.

According to AP, St. Louis has long struggled with urban violence and, between late Monday and early Tuesday, police had responded to five different shootings that left 15 people wounded.

The City of St. Louis’ violent crime rate and homicide rates are among the highest in the nation, a report on nextSTL.com showed.

Jason Deem, a board member and former president of the Cherokee Street Business Association, said that though the shooting is “a very unfortunate situation for Cherokee,” violence is not an everyday occurrence in the locality.

"It's not like this type of thing goes on down here. This is very much a shock to us," he told AP. "Everything police are telling us leads us to believe it was a targeted incident and not some random act of violence."