At least 1 dead, 14 hurt after shooting at Memphis-area Kroger
(CNN) — At least one person was killed and 14 others injured in a shooting at a Kroger in Collierville, Tennessee, police officials said Thursday afternoon.
The shooter was also found dead, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Police Chief Dale Lane said.
Lane said 13 victims were taken to hospitals and one person suffered an anxiety attack and went on their own.
An employee at the supermarket told CNN affiliate WMC that when the shooting started, she thought it was just “balloons popping.”
Brignetta Dickerson was working the cash register when she said the shooting began in the deli section.
She told WMC she ran with some of her coworkers to hide but the gunman came right behind them and started shooting.
“He kept on shooting, shooting, shooting,” Dickerson said. “He shot one of my coworkers in the head, and then shot one of the customers in the stomach, and then my other customer got kind of like cuts because of the asphalt.”
Dickerson, who has worked at Kroger for 32 years, said she was OK but a little scared and shaky.
Lane said as far as police know, there was no incident that led up to the shooting.
Regional One Health Medical Center in Memphis received nine patients, said Angie Golding, a spokesperson at Regional One Health.
According to Golding, four were in critical condition when they arrived and five were in non-critical condition.
Golding did not provide further information, as the hospital was still working to notify relatives.
At least one patient was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital’s location in Collierville, spokesperson Kimberly Alexander told CNN. She would not provide any information on the condition of the patient.
Lane said 44 people were working in the Kroger when the shooting happened.
Some employees hid in freezer
Around 1:30 p.m. CT, Collierville Communications Center received a 911 call about an active shooter at the Kroger, Lane told reporters outside the store. There actually was a patrol car near the store when the 911 call came in, Lane said.
When officers entered the store, they found people who had been shot. A SWAT team, patrol officers and other command staff members went aisle to aisle and room to room, bringing out employees who were hiding and helping the injured victims, Lane said.
Several employees were found hiding in freezers or locked in offices. “They were doing what they had been trained to do: Run, hide, fight,” Lane said.
The chief said he was part of a team that brought a Kroger employee down from the top of the building.
The chief said the shooter’s vehicle was in the parking lot and was being searched.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas Korneski with the Memphis field office said the FBI has deployed an evidence response team to support Collierville Police and is providing specialists to provide assistance to victims.
Kroger spokesperson Teresa Dickerson said the grocery chain is providing counseling for store workers.