A heavily armed man with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire inside a Target store in Omaha, Nebraska, before he was fatally shot by police on Tuesday.
The man, later identified as Joseph Jones, 32, was armed with more than a dozen ammunition magazines when he barged inside the store and fired multiple rounds, although it wasn't clear if he fired at anyone, Omaha police officials said.
No injuries have been reported among the shoppers and employees so far, authorities said.
Law enforcement authorities responded to at least two dozen 911 calls of an active shooter at the west Omaha Target around noon local time. The first officers on the scene included Omaha police officers and a Nebraska State Trooper.
“The first arriving officers went into the building, confronted the suspect and shot him dead,” Omaha police chief Todd Schmaderer told reporters during a briefing.
Prior to shooting down the suspect, the man was issued “numerous loud verbal commands” ordering him to drop the rifle. “An Omaha Police officer then fired their service handgun striking the suspect who was declared deceased by Omaha Fire Department personnel as a result of the incident,” the police said in a statement.
Authorities thanked “brave” employees who underwent active shooter training and “assisted in getting shoppers out”.
Lauren Murphy, a 21-year-old employee, had just started her break when she heard the shots.
She was in the store’s front restroom when she received a message telling her to either run or stay put. She hid in a bathroom stall and began texting her family and friends that she loved them.
“I was scared that this is how I might die at work,” said Ms Murphy. “I was just clutching onto the side of the toilet getting my feet off the ground, making sure I wasn’t visible,” she added.
Employee Samuel Jacobsen, 21, was filling a personal shopping order when he heard the first gunshot. But he wasn’t sure what the sound was and kept working. “Then my coworker ran by and she said, ‘He’s got a gun, get out!”’ Mr Jacobsen said.
“I was like, ‘Oh this is real. I have to get out, I have to get out, I have to get out.”’ Mr Jacobsen hid behind the store and started texting coworkers to make sure they were safe.
Cathy Mahannah, a customer, said the scene inside was “sheer panic”.
Target said the store will remain temporarily closed during which employees will be provided “full compensation” and “access to on-site counseling”.
“Following an incident earlier today at our Omaha West location, we are extremely grateful that all of our guests and team members were safely evacuated from the store without injury,” the retailer said in a statement.
The state of Nebraska allows people to own and carry firearms, including assault-style rifles, in public view, provided the individual doesn’t hold a criminal record.
