One day after an attack in Manhattan, New York City killed eight people, an unidentified gunman casually walked into a Walmart store in the Colorado suburb of Thornton, killing at least three people.
The shooting appears to be random and there is nothing to imply that it was an act of terror, said Thornton police spokesman Victor Avila, to the Associated Press. Investigators are examining security videos and interviewing witnesses to identify the suspect.
- Thornton Police have arrested the suspected gunman after a 14-hour chase
Police used surveillance video to identify the suspect as 47-year-old Scott Ostrem - Multiple people were shot at by an unidentified gunman on Wednesday night inside a Walmart store in Thornton, Colorado
- Two men and one woman have been killed in the shooting
- The police are yet to find the handgun used by the assailant
Suspected Gunman Arrested after 14 Hours
A man suspected of walking into a suburban Denver (a Colorado suburb) Walmart store and immediately opening fire with a handgun, killing two men and a woman, was arrested on Thursday, about 14 hours after fleeing the store, reported AP.
Police used surveillance video to identify the suspect as 47-year-old Scott Ostrem. Television footage showed officers taking him into custody about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away from the Walmart after pulling over his car.
Thornton Police Release Image of Suspected Shooter and His Car
The Thornton Police said late on Wednesday that the gunman was still on the loose, and released an image of the suspected shooter from security camera footage. The photograph shows a middle-aged white man in a black jacket leaving the Walmart in Thornton, in suburban Denver, Colorado state.
The police claimed that the shooter escaped in a red Mitsubishi Mirage.
Three Dead in Walmart Shooting
Two men were killed instantly at the Walmart shooting in a Colorado suburb on Wednesday night. One woman, who was badly injured, succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital.
The Thorton police haven’t taken anyone into their custody yet.
Unidentified Gunman Shoots People Inside a Walmart in Colorado Suburb
Multiple people were shot at on Wednesday inside a Walmart store in a Denver suburb, local police said.
Police in Thornton, Colorado, did not release any information on the number of victims and it was not clear if an assailant had been taken into custody. Thornton is about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Denver.
"We've got multiple parties down, we're still trying to ascertain what their conditions are," Officer Victor Avila of the Thornton Police Department told Reuters.
About an hour after the initial alert the Thornton Police Department said on Twitter that the gunfire had ended at the store, which was surrounded by police and fire crews.
Avila said that police were called to the store at about 6:30 pm and that the gunshots had ceased by the time the first officers arrived at the scene.
An hour after the incident, the situation, the nature of the incident or status of the threat remained unclear, he said. Local NBC affiliate 9NEWS reported that a woman whose son was in Walmart had told her that he had heard about 30 gunshots and was still inside.
Local television images showed a number of police cars and ambulances surrounding the Walmart, lights flashing. The store is adjacent to the major US Interstate highway 25.
(This is a developing story. More details awaited.)
(With inputs from AP and Reuters)
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