A shooter attacked a grocery store in an upscale Tennessee suburb on Thursday afternoon, killing one person and wounding 12 others before the shooter was subsequently found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at the store, authorities said.
Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said the shooting broke out at a Kroger store in the suburban community about 30 miles east of Memphis. He said 13 people in all were shot and that 12 of them were taken to hospitals, some with very serious injuries.
Officials described the injuries to victims as "very serious," and Lane said it broke his heart to deliver the news of what he called "the most horrific event" in city history.
Lane said police received a call about 1:30 p.m. about the shooting and arrived within minutes, finding multiple people shot when they entered the building.
He said a police SWAT team and other officers went aisle to aisle in the store to find people who sought cover or were in hiding, removing them to safety. He said the shooter was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"We found people hiding in freezers, in locked offices. They were doing what they had been trained to do: run, hide, fight," he said.
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Lane said 12 victims were transported from the scene and one was a walk-up at a hospital. The victims are spread across multiple hospitals, he said.
He said it is not clear how many people were in the store at the time of the shooting, but there appear to have been numerous witnesses.
An employee, Glenda McDonald, described the chaotic scene to WHBQ-TV.
"I was walking back towards the floral department, and I heard a gunshot," she said. "It sounded like it was coming from the deli. And I ran out the front door and they had already shot the front door. And I'm in the parking lot now. And several people did get shot, some customers and employees, too. I don't know how many."
The identities of the shooter and the victims were not immediately released. The suspected shooter's vehicle was in the store's parking lot and remained a part of the investigation, the chief said. Lane declined to comment on what kind of weapon the shooter used.
Kroger did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the shooting.
Lane added investigators are working to sort out what happened and added, "It's going to take a little bit before we know what happened."
"We hate that it happened, but this is one of the most resilient communities in America," Lane said. "And one of the best police departments. I'm very thankful. I watched guys that ran into the front of that building knowing that -- historically, not in this case but historically -- many of these shooters have very high-powered rifles. And not one of them hesitated going in that front door."
Collierville is a growing suburb of more than 51,000 people with a median household income of about $114,000, according to U.S. census figures. Nestled in a rural and historic area, the town square has largely become known for its boutiques and bed and breakfasts.
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Earlier this year, Tennessee became the latest state to allow most adults 21 and older to carry handguns without first clearing a state-level background check and training. The measure was enacted by Republican Gov. Bill Lee over objections from some law-enforcement groups and gun-control advocates concerned the measure would possibly lead to more gun violence.
Information for this article was contributed by Jonathan Mattise of The Associated Press and by Hannah Knowles and Caroline Anders of The Washington Post.
