Reports: Gunman kills 2, takes own life at Tennessee manufacturing plant

Sept 22 (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire at a manufacturing plant in a Memphis, Tennessee, suburb on Thursday, killing two people before taking his own life, police and local media reported.

The gunfire erupted shortly after 4 p.m. CDT at Thomas & Betts Corp in Athens, Tennessee, local TV station WTVC reported.

WTVC reporter Kelsey Bagwell, citing Athens Police Chief Chuck Ziegler, said on Twitter that the gunman shot to death two people at the plant, then turned the gun on himself.

"An active shooter incident has occurred at Thomas and Betts in Athens. Shooter is down. Scene is secure," McMinn County Sheriff Joe Guy said in a post on Instagram.

Representatives for Thomas & Betts could not immediately be reached for comment.

No other details were immediately available about the incident ahead of a news conference scheduled by authorities for Thursday evening. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Matthew Lewis)