Greenville NC Walmart Shooting Suspect Caught
Greenville, NC — Four people were shot in a gun attack near and then in the parking lot of a Greenville, North Carolina Walmart on Friday shortly before noon.
Both the Walmart and nearby Kellum Law Firm have been described as crime scenes by Greenville Police Chief Hassan Aden. According to a WXII 12 news station report, the suspect is believed to have shot but not killed a person sitting in a car outside the law firm.
He then ran across five lanes of traffic to shoot and injure three more people in the Walmart parking lot.
Greenville police officers engaged with the shooter, eventually shooting him and bringing him into custody. At the time of writing, he was undergoing surgery. The four victims are also receiving treatment at local hospitals.
Witnesses said that the man was wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a rifle. Some people said that the man was dressed all in black.
In a statement to local media, Police Chief Chief Aden said that the weapon was actually a shotgun. He also said that the suspect was carrying a great deal of ammunition as well as a satchel.
An extended WTSP story said that the first man who was shot outside the law office was an insurance adjuster sitting in a Geico car.
However, the police haven’t yet released any names or confirmed a lot of the observations made by other witnesses.
Walmart spokeswoman Dianna Gee stressed that no one was hurt inside the Walmart. The entire shooting spree took place outside on the streets of Greenville, NC.
No Walmart associates were believed to have been injured.
Shooting sprees and gun violence have been the subject of debate ever since the December Sandy Hook shooting which left 20 school children dead and awakened a national debate about gun reform. However, new gun control measures have been deadlocked in Congress.
There are still plenty of open questions about the shotgun rampage — including the motive behind the Greenville, NC shooting.
[shotgun shells photo by Greg Dunlap via Flickr and Creative Commons]
