A man opened fire at a Kroger grocery store in Louisville, Kentucky, on Wednesday afternoon.
He killed two people.
The 51-year-old man reportedly encountered another man armed with a gun outside the store in the parking lot and told him:
"Whites don't shoot Whites."
Jeffersontown Police Chief Sam Rogers told Wave 3 News that the killer walked into the suburban grocery store and fired multiple shots at a man and then proceeded to shoot a woman outside the store.
News sources confirmed that the victims, both of whom were African American, died at the scene.
They were identified as 69-year-old Maurice Stallard and 67-year-old Vicki Lee Jones.
Many angry people expressed their outrage over the hate crime.
According to the arrest report, the gunman brandished his pistol, pulling it from his waistband inside the store, and shot Maurice Stallard in the back of the head. Stallard had been shopping with his grandson at the time.
The killer continued shooting his victim as Stallard lay on the floor.
The arrest report continued detailing what happened after the shooter exited the store.
"Arrested subject then exited the Kroger store being observed by witnesses re-holstering his weapon until he exited. Witnesses and video show the arrested subject draw his pistol again once outside in the parking lot and shoot victim #2 several times causing her death."
"Arrested subject then came into contact with a civilian, carry concealed pistol (CCDW) holder, who challenged the arrested subject, who then began firing wildly at the civilian throughout the parking lot endangering several pedestrian shoppers."
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer was both "heartbroken" and "angry" over the shooting.
Democratic Representative John Yarmuth also expressed his thoughts regarding the tragedy.
Kroger issued a statement, saying:
"[We] are shocked and saddened by the shooting incident that occurred around 2:30 p.m. ET today. Thanks to the quick response of the local police department, the suspect was apprehended an our store is secure."
"We are cooperating with law enforcement and assisting with their investigation. Our store is closed and will reopen after the investigation concludes. We are referring all other questions to local law enforcement."
The gunman is being charged with two counts of murder and 10 counts of felony wanton endangerment and is being held on a $5 million bond.
He is scheduled for a November 5 preliminary court hearing.
There were no other injuries during the murders of Maurice Stallard and Vickie Lee Jones.
The FBI issued the following statement:
"FBI Louisville is currently assisting the Jeffersontown Police Department in the ongoing investigation into the shooting at a local Jeffersontown Kroger. FBI Louisville is evaluating the evidence to determine if there were any violations of federal law."
@jman42/Bluesky
@SecretaryBurgum/X
@Doug Ellin/X
@evanrachelwood/Instagram