Workers at a Tennessee grocery store hid in freezers to survive a mass shooting that left one lady dead and 14 others injured. Her family recognized King as the victim of the mass shooting that left 14 others hospitalized, including 13 with gunshot wounds, on Thursday.
According to Police Chief Dale Lane, the shooter was also found dead, possibly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The names of the victims and the shooter have yet to be published by authorities.
“This senseless act of violence has destroyed our family,” King’s family wrote in a written statement to CNN affiliate WHBQ. “All families and friends devastated by today’s events, as well as God’s mercy on the shooter and his family,” they begged.
Kroger spokesperson Kristal Howard informed CNN via email on Friday that the shooter was not a Kroger employee. Howard, on the other hand, refused to say whether the suspect was a contractor.
Lane declined to comment on the shooter’s affiliation with the store.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 517 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. A mass shooting, according to CNN and the GVA, occurs when four or more persons are injured or killed, excluding the shooter.
Olivia’s son, Wes King, stated his mother was shot in the chest. “This type of crime must no longer be overlooked or whitewashed. Nobody is deserving of this “On his Facebook page, he wrote.
Following the shooting, thirteen people were sent to hospitals with gunshot wounds, and one person went into a hospital with an anxiety attack, according to Lane.
Some workers hid in refrigerators or barricaded themselves in offices to stay alive. Another employee ran to the roof and was taken down by police once it was safe to do so.
“They were doing exactly what they’d been taught to do: run, hide, and fight,” Lane explained.
When witnesses initially heard gunfire, they described the chaos that ensued.
According to CNN, Jason Lusk was exiting a tool store near Kroger when he noticed people coming out yelling that there was a shooter.
Lusk said he started walking toward his car when he didn’t see anyone. “That’s when I heard approximately ten to fifteen gunshots. They sounded like they were speaking straight to me. Extremely tight quarters. It seemed like a high-powered semi-automatic rifle to me “he stated
Brignetta Dickerson, another witness, was working at a cash register when the shooting started in the deli section, she claimed. The shooter walked behind her and continued firing while she and some of her employees fled to safety, she told CNN affiliate WMC.
Dickerson stated, “He just kept shooting, shooting, shooting.” “He shot one of my coworkers in the head, then shot one of the clients in the stomach, and then my other customer had cut from the asphalt,” says the narrator.
Dickerson, who has worked at Kroger for over 32 years, said she was afraid and wobbly after the shooting but was otherwise well.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which covers Kroger employees, said it is working with the local chapter to assist people who have been touched by the tragedy.
In a written statement, union president Marc Perrone stated, “We are heartbroken that another act of senseless murder has occurred in a grocery shop.” “There are no words to describe the toll these heinous acts of violence have taken on our workers, our union members, and our consumers.”
At least two additional grocery store shootings have occurred this year. In March, ten people were killed in a mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado. In April, a supermarket shooting in West Hempstead, New York, claimed the life of one person.
This report was co-written by CNN’s Andy Rose, Ryan Young, Devon M. Sayers, Rebekah Riess, Jenn Selva, and Steve Almasy.
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