(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) — Authorities said Friday that a 25-year-old man opened fire at a Walmart store in Indiana where he used to work, wounding at least one person before being fatally shot by officers.
The shooter was named Ronald Ray Mosley II by Sgt. Anna Gray of the Evansville Police Department. Mosley had previously worked at the store in southwest Indiana, according to her.
According to Officer Taylor Merriss, there was at least one victim, a female employee, on Friday. Police did not immediately release her name, age, and the extent of her injuries. However, Merriss stated that she “was able to talk when she was taken away from the scene,” according to the Evansville Courier & Press.
At around 10 p.m. on Thursday, Evansville police and Vanderburgh County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an active shooter in the store. According to Merriss, customers and employees attempted to hide or flee before officers arrived. The gunman went on a 15-minute rampage.
“Several officers were searching for the offender. And he could appear at any time,” Merriss said, describing the body camera footage as “eerie.”
Shooter Tried To Leave The Store
Merriss says that police looked at Mosley’s body camera footage and saw that he tried to leave the store but was stopped by officers at the door. Mosley then returned inside and was fatally shot during a gunfight.
“When officers went in, they were trying to locate the suspect, who was all over the store. He’d shoot at officers and then flee. So it wasn’t limited to one area inside,” she explained.
Gray stated that police did not know how many people Mosley shot besides the female employee and that there could have been additional victims who fled the scene.
According to Evansville police, there could be up to 50 witnesses to the shooting. Officials told anyone who left the scene with minor injuries to call 911 right away.
Evansville Walmart Employees Are Shocked
“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,” Walmart said in a statement, according to WFIE-TV. “As we learn more, we will do everything we can to help our colleagues cope with this tragedy.
In May, Mosley was charged with four misdemeanor counts of battery. According to court records obtained by the Evansville Courier & Press, the case was sent to Vanderburgh County’s mental health court. He was supposed to appear for a progress hearing on Thursday afternoon, but court records do not show that he did.
A news conference was scheduled for Friday, according to a tweet from the city’s police department.
Evansville is a city on the Ohio River with about 116,000 people. It is about 172 miles (276 kilometers) southwest of Indianapolis.
In November, a Walmart manager in Chesapeake, Virginia, killed six people when he opened fire in a break room before a routine employee meeting two days before the Thanksgiving holiday. Six people were also hurt. Before officers arrived, the gunman shot and killed himself.
SOURCE – (AP)
