Gunman at Tennessee Kroger was asked to leave job, police say

(CNN) — Investigators person learned that the shooter identified successful an onslaught Thursday astatine a Tennessee Kroger, which killed astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic and wounded 14, was asked to permission his occupation that morning, according to an update provided by the Collierville Police Department on Monday.

The shooter, identified by constabulary arsenic 29-year-old U.K. Thang, moved into Collierville successful the summertime of 2020 and was a third-party vendor moving wrong Kroger, the update said.

Collierville Police are processing physics evidence, arsenic good arsenic the transgression country vehicles, and interviewing different imaginable witnesses successful the case, the update said.

“With progressive constabulary investigations, galore of the lawsuit details cannot beryllium shared until the probe is complete,” the merchandise added.

When the shooting began Thursday, 44 employees were moving successful the store, Police Chief Dale Lane said. By the end, astatine slightest 1 person, lawsuit Olivia King, was killed successful the chaos, Kroger said.

“Our household is devastated by this senseless enactment of violence,” King’s household said successful an earlier written statement. The asked for prayers “for each families and friends affected by the events today, arsenic good arsenic for God’s mercy connected the shooter and his family.”

In total, the antheral changeable 10 employees and 5 customers. Of those wounded, 4 victims stay astatine Regional One Hospital successful Memphis successful unchangeable condition, according to the release

The shooter was recovered dead, seemingly of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lane said.

In the coming days, officials from the municipality and Kroger are expected to conscionable to sermon the re-opening of the Kroger store, arsenic good arsenic adjacent steps involving worker and assemblage support, the update said.

Kroger spokesperson Teresa Dickerson said the market concatenation is providing counseling for store workers.

Shootings person happened successful astatine slightest 2 different market stores this year. In March, a wide shooting in Boulder, Colorado, near 10 radical dead. And 1 idiosyncratic was killed successful a supermarket shooting in West Hempstead, New York, successful April.

Employees hid successful freezers

Around 1:30 p.m. CT connected Thursday, the Collierville Communications Center received a 911 telephone astir an progressive shooter astatine the Kroger, Lane told reporters extracurricular the store. There really was a patrol car adjacent the store erstwhile the 911 telephone came in, Lane said.

Brignetta Dickerson was moving the currency registry erstwhile she said the shooting began successful the deli section.

She said she ran with immoderate of her coworkers to fell but the gunman came close down them and started shooting.

“He kept connected shooting, shooting, shooting,” Dickerson said. “He changeable 1 of my coworkers successful the head, and past changeable 1 of the customers successful the stomach, and past my different lawsuit got benignant of similar cuts due to the fact that of the asphalt.”

Dickerson, who has worked astatine Kroger for 32 years, said she was alright, but a small frightened and shaky.

When officers entered the store, they recovered radical who had been shot. A SWAT team, patrol officers and different bid unit members went aisle to aisle and country to room, bringing retired employees who were hiding and helping the injured victims, Lane said.

Some radical “were (down connected the ground) pretending to beryllium shot,” and an worker who ran to the extortion was yet escorted down, helium said.

Several employees were recovered hiding successful freezers oregon locked successful offices. “They were doing what they had been trained to do: Run, hide, fight,” Lane said.

The shooting was implicit minutes aft constabulary received a call, and investigators judge the gunman fatally changeable himself “as we were pulling up to the scene,” Lane said.