Police guard the front door of Excel Industries in Hesston, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, where a gunman killed an undetermined number of people and injured many more.

Topeka ? Gov. Sam Brownback offered his condolences Friday to the families of victims in a mass shooting in Hesston and said he plans to travel there with other state officials later in the day to meet with local law enforcement there.

“Thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims,” Brownback said in a hastily called news conference at the Statehouse. “This is a very difficult time for them and I ask that people respect their needs and lift them up in prayer.”

Four people were killed Thursday, including the gunman, and at least a dozen others were injured in the rampage at the Excel manufacturing plant in Hesston. The gunman has been identified as 38-year-old Cedric Ford, of Newton, a plant worker who had several convictions in Florida over the last decade.

Gov. Sam Brownback plans to travel to Hesston and visit with local law enforcement agencies following Thursday's mass shooting at an Excel manufacturing plant.

“It is a terrible tragedy,” Brownback said. “This is a difficult time for us in the state of Kansas. It’s a difficult time for families and the community. We lift them up in our thoughts and prayers.”

Brownback said he would travel to Hesston Friday with Attorney General Derek Schmidt and the head of the Kansas Highway Patrol to meet with local law enforcement officials in the area.

“There will be a thorough investigation and full reports coming out at a later date,” Brownback said. “At this point in time, this is a real tragedy for the people.”

The governor would not comment on whether the shooting would put a hold on any further efforts in the Legislature to expand gun rights in Kansas.

“This is no time to discuss any of those items,” he said. “This is a time to support the community, support the families, and that’s what we’re going to be doing, and get to the bottom of this incident, this crime scene, as quickly and thoroughly as possible.”