EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A gunman fired shots at police as he weaved through the aisles of an Indiana Walmart before being killed by law enforcement, authorities said.
At least one person in the store was wounded Thursday night by the shooter, who was not immediately identified, Evansville Police Department Sgt. Anna Gray told WFIE-TV. The victim was transported to a hospital and the severity of their injuries was not immediately known. No officers were injured, Gray said.
The victim appeared to be a Walmart employee, as a company statement said: “The entire Walmart family is shocked by the senseless violence that occurred at our Evansville store, and our hearts are with our associate at this time,” the broadcaster reported. “As we learn more, we’ll do everything we can to support our associates as they cope with this tragedy.”
The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment from Walmart.
Evansville police and Vanderburgh County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an active shooter in the store at around 10 p.m., Gray said.
“When officers went in, they were trying to locate the suspect and he was all over the store. He would shoot at officers and move. So it wasn’t contained to just one area inside,” she said.
Multiple law enforcement members returned fire during the encounter and the gunman was killed, Gray said.
“At this time we don’t know how many other people he shot at,” Gray said, adding that there could could be additional victims who fled.
Authorities asked anyone who left the scene with injuries, no matter how small, to contact emergency medical services.
A news conference was being planned for Friday, the city’s police department said in a tweet.
Evansville, a city of around 116,000 residents on the Ohio River, is located 172 miles (276 kilometers) southwest of Indianapolis.
A Walmart manager in Chesapeake, Virginia, killed six people in November when he began shooting wildly inside a break room before a routine employee meeting, two days ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Six people were also wounded. The gunman shot and killed himself before officers arrived.
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