2 Reported Dead, 4 Injured in Shooting Incident at California Walmart Distribution Center

Two people were killed and four others wounded in a shooting at a Walmart distribution center [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Two people were killed and four others wounded in a shooting at a Walmart distribution center south of Red Bluff, California. The alleged gunman drove an SUV into the building and began opening fire during a shift change. The crash caused a small fire, multiple witnesses told the Sacramento Bee. The alleged gunman was shot by police officers and it is not clear if he survived his injuries.

The incident started after 3 p.m. local time at the facility, located on Highway 99 West. The four people injured are being treated at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital and are in fair condition, spokeswoman Allison Hendrickson told the Bee. The ordeal lasted about 45 minutes, and police cleared the facility of more threats by 5:30 p.m.

The incident began when the alleged gunman rammed his vehicle into the part of the building where employees clock in to start their shifts. A fire broke out, then the man started shooting employees, witnesses said. One of the victims was a woman shot in the parking lot as she tried to flee the scene, witnesses told the Red Bluff Daily News. At about 3:45 p.m., officers shot the alleged gunman in the upper chest.

One witness told a Corning Observer reporter the alleged gunman appeared to be a "white man with black hair, wearing a green and gray T-shirt and black shorts." His weapon was described as an "AR-type" weapon. Employee Scott Thammakhanty told the Record Searchlight he believed the shooter used a "semi-automatic weapon."

Thammakhantry said he could not count how many times the gunman fired, adding, "I just know it was a lot." He said employees were running for their lives and he saw people on the ground. The shooter looked familiar, but Thammakhanty could not identify him, he told the Record Searchlight.

Dispatchers called all police units to respond to the facility just south of Red Bluff, about 120 miles north of Sacramento. They first reported at least one person shot and one man reported his leg was run over by the truck when it hit the building. "We need to get these people out of here," a dispatcher said, reports the Record Searchlight.

Thee Red Bluff police officers, including a sergeant, made it to the scene first and saw the suspect firing into the air, reports the Bee. Tehama County Sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers also arrived at the scene. The officers who fired at the suspect will be put on administrative leave while the Tehama County District Attorney reviews their role in the incident, following usual police protocol. The sheriff's office will lead the investigation.

An unidentified man was shot and taken to a hospital, but CNN reports it is not clear if law enforcement shot the suspect. "There was an active shooter, he was shot, last I heard he was on his way to the hospital," Red Bluff City Manager Rick Crabtree told CNN.

Walmart is aware of the situation. "We aware of the situation and are working with law enforcement to investigate. We don't have any additional information to share at this time," a spokesman told CNN.

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