A shooting took place outside of an Alabama Walmart on Tuesday morning, with at least three casualties reported so far.
A gunman drove his own car directly into another vehicle outside of the Walmart in Tallassee, Alabama, according to a report by the Associated Press. At that point, the assailant opened fire, taking the lives of two women in the other car. The gunman reportedly took his own life before any more violence could ensue.
Police told reporters that they believe the incident stemmed from a domestic dispute, though the investigation is still in its early stages.
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“[We’re] still trying to work out the details,” said Police Chief Matthew Higgins. “It’s still fresh.”
Johnny Hammock, the mayor of Tallassee, told reporters that all three people involved in the tragedy were from the area. He also confirmed that the shooter appeared to have specifically targeted his victims, and rammed his car into them on purpose.
Police have yet to release the names of the shooter and his victims. Few details have been made available, though a few photos and videos made it onto social media.
They show a white Nissan SUV smashed to pieces in the store’s parking lot.
The shooting sparked a wave of posts from people in the community, calling for prayers for all three of the deceased. It also ignited another conversation about gun ownership, which has been a topic of much debate so far this year.
“As my granddaughter and I were shopping in Walmart Tallassee today, a man came up shot a woman and someone else then shot himself. Lock down,” recounted one person on Facebook. “This should not be happening in this small town. What is wrong with people???”
“Gun control works,” proclaimed another resident. “Let us try it. Please. No arguments. Reduce the number of guns always results in reduction of gun violence. Statistics do not lie.”
Tallassee is about 30 miles east of Montgomery, Alabama.
This year has seen a marked shift in the coverage of gun violence in America, as more and more groups call out for gun law reform. After the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, many student survivors there decided to channel their grief into activism.
Since then, their work to get gun lobbyist money out of the government has not stopped. Right now, many of those students are traveling the country on the Road to Change Tour, hosting rallies and town halls to register voters and promote sensible change to America’s gun laws.
