Tennessee grocery store attack: ‘He kept on shooting’

By JONATHAN MATTISE

A gunman attacked a market store successful an upscale Tennessee suburb connected Thursday afternoon, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic and wounding 12 others earlier the fishy was recovered dormant of an evident self-inflicted gunshot coiled astatine the store, authorities said.

Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said the shooting broke retired astatine a Kroger market successful his suburban assemblage astir 30 miles (50 kilometers) eastbound of Memphis. He said the gunman changeable 13 others and himself, and that 12 of the victims were taken to hospitals, immoderate with precise superior injuries.

One Kroger worker, Brignetta Dickerson, told WREG-TV she was moving a currency registry erstwhile she heard what astatine archetypal she thought were balloons popping.

“And, present helium comes close down america and started shooting,” Dickerson said. “And, helium kept connected shooting, shooting, shooting. He changeable 1 of my co-workers successful the caput and changeable 1 of my customers successful the stomach.”

Lane said constabulary received a telephone astir 1:30 p.m. astir the shooting and arrived wrong minutes, uncovering aggregate radical with gunshots erstwhile they entered the building.

He said a constabulary SWAT squad and different officers went aisle to aisle successful the store to find radical who sought screen oregon were successful hiding, taking them to safety. He said the shooter, whom helium described arsenic male, was recovered dormant of an evident self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“We recovered radical hiding successful freezers, successful locked offices. They were doing what they had been trained to do: run, hide, fight,” the main said without elaborating.

Dickerson, the employee, said her co-worker, who is successful his 20s, was changeable successful the caput and said helium wanted his parent to beryllium notified.

“I near her a voicemail that helium was alert and talking,” Dickerson said, adding that she was inactive trying to scope her.

Another employee, Glenda McDonald, described the chaotic country to WHBQ-TV.

“I was walking backmost towards the floral section and I heard a gunshot,” she said. “It sounded similar it was coming from the deli. And I ran retired the beforehand doorway and they had already changeable the beforehand door.”

Lane briefed reporters astatine the country afterward, calling it a bittersweet time for his department.

“I’ve been progressive successful this for 34 years and I’ve ne'er seen thing similar it,” helium said.

The identities of the shooter and the victims were not instantly released. The suspect’s conveyance was successful the store’s parking batch and remained determination arsenic portion of the investigation, the main said.

He added that investigators were seeking to portion unneurotic however the shooting unfolded, adding, “It’s going to instrumentality a small spot earlier we cognize what happened.”

“Let’s get done the investigation,” Lane said. “Remember, we’re 2 hours distant from the astir horrific lawsuit that’s occurred successful Collierville history.”

Collierville is simply a increasing suburb of much than 51,000 radical with a median household income of astir $114,000, according to U.S. census figures. Set successful a agrarian and historical area, the municipality quadrate has mostly go known for its boutiques and furniture and breakfasts.

Earlier this year, Tennessee became the latest authorities to let astir adults 21 and older to transportation handguns without archetypal clearing a state-level inheritance cheque and training. The measurement was signed into instrumentality by Republican Gov. Bill Lee implicit objections from immoderate instrumentality enforcement groups and weapon power advocates acrophobic the measurement would perchance pb to much weapon violence.

The Kroger Co., based successful Cincinnati, Ohio, issued a connection that it was “deeply saddened” by the shooting and was cooperating with instrumentality enforcement. The institution successful 2019 asked its customers not to openly transportation guns portion visiting its stores.