At least three people — including the assailant — are dead and two police officers wounded following a shooting inside an Indiana grocery store on Monday, Jan. 27, authorities said.
Officers responded to Martin’s Super Market in Elkhart, Ind., after receiving a 911 call about a shooting at 5:30 p.m., according to a press release from the Elkhart Police Department. When they arrived, officers found two people dead of gunshot wounds inside the store.
Police said when they approached the suspect outside the store, two officers were wounded and the assailant was shot and killed. The injured officers were taken to local hospitals for treatment. One officer was released, but the other remains hospitalized in stable condition, according to police.
Police believe there is “no further danger to the public.” Authorities added that the names of the victims, suspect and officers are being withheld, pending family notification.
“In this horrific situation, words cannot express the pain felt in our community when a tragic incident like this happens,” Elkhart Police Chief Dan Milanese said in the release. “This pain is especially felt by the victims’ families, the responding officers, the families of the wounded officers, and all the witnesses to this tragic incident.”
A pregnant witness told WNDU-TV she was in the checkout line when shots rang out and ducked along with everyone else in the store before making it out safely.
“Then we heard a pop. And honestly, I thought it was a balloon. Call me crazy, but I thought it was a balloon,” Erin Swary told the outlet.
A spokesperson for Martin’s Super Market told WSBT 22 News that the team is mourning the “unimaginable loss of lives” and is working with authorities on the investigation.
Police are still investigating a motive for the violence and are asking anyone who may have any information on the case to contact the department’s homicide unit at 574-295-2825.
