AMARILLO, Texas—Officers fatally shot an armed man inside a Wal-Mart store in Amarillo, Texas, on Tuesday after he took two people hostage, including a manager with whom he had a work-related dispute, according to police.
Amarillo police identified the suspect as 54-year-old store employee Mohammad Moghaddam and said neither hostage was injured. Police said the incident began over a dispute related to a promotion and called the incident a “workplace violence event.”
“This individual had an ongoing difference, dispute or feud with a manager at Walmart,” said Amarillo Police Sgt. Brent Barbee. “There is absolutely no information or reason to believe that this is a terrorist event.”
Officers responded to an active shooter call at the store around 11 a.m., amid reports that an armed person was inside and may have had hostages.
According to investigators, Moghaddam entered the store and fired at least one shot toward the ceiling. Police don’t believe the suspect, who was armed with a handgun, fired any other shots.
Authorities initially believed he took a hostage and went into an office in the back of the store, according to a police statement.
“We knew there were hostages inside the business, so (SWAT) went in with the intent to free the hostages,” Barbee said.
Around 12:20 p.m., SWAT officers watched what they had believed was the only hostage come out of the office. The officers entered the room and discovered the second hostage.
“The suspect was still armed with a handgun and was a threat to the hostage and the officers. Two SWAT officers fired shots which hit the suspect. Initial information is that the suspect died immediately,” police said in a statement.
It was not immediately known if the other hostage was a store employee or how that person became a hostage, Barbee said.
No other injuries were reported.
Wal-Mart spokesman Brian Nick released a statement earlier Tuesday saying all store associates and customers were safe. Nick thanked officers, saying, “This was a very difficult situation and we are thankful for the quick response from law enforcement.”
Authorities said the investigation was ongoing in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle. Some nearby streets were closed as a precaution during the incident, including an off ramp to Interstate 27.
The Randall County Sheriff’s Office said later Tuesday afternoon that all roads around the store at Interstate 27 had been reopened to traffic. The area around the Walmart was still closed but officers were letting people retrieve their cars from the parking lot.
AMARILLO, Texas—The Latest on police responding to Amarillo, Texas, Wal-Mart amid reports that an armed person was at the store (all times local):
5:40 p.m.
Amarillo police say the armed man who took two people hostage inside a local Wal-Mart was a store employee who had a work-related dispute with the manager and that there was no reason to believe the incident had any ties to terrorism.
Police Sgt. Brent Barbee says the suspect, 54-year-old Mohammad Moghaddam, took his manager and another person hostage over a dispute related to a promotion. Barbee says Moghaddam was a current employee at the Wal-Mart store.
Police say officers responded to the incident around 11 a.m. Authorities say a police SWAT crew entered the area of the store where the hostages were located around 12:20 p.m. and fatally shot Moghaddam.
Barbee says Moghaddam was armed with a handgun.
- Amarillo Police Department confirms active shooter situation at Walmart Supercenter, located at 4215 Canyon Drive. (Google Maps image)
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4:35 p.m.
Authorities say the man confronted by police inside a Wal-Mart store was fatally shot by officers after he took two people hostage.
The Amarillo Police Department released a brief statement late Tuesday afternoon identifying the suspect as 54-year-old Mohammad Moghaddam. Police say he took two people hostage, including a manager with whom he had a work-related dispute.
No other details have been released about Moghaddam or what may have led to the incident. Police say neither hostage was injured.
Police said earlier in the day that officers responded to a reported shooting around 11 a.m. amid reports that an armed person inside the store had taken hostages. Police later said the suspect was shot by a police SWAT crew.
This item has been updated to correct the suspect’s age to 54, not 45, according to a revised statement from police.
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2:45 p.m.
Amarillo police say at least one person was taken hostage by a male suspect inside a local Wal-Mart as police responded to a reported shooting at the store.
Police Sgt. Brent Barbee said in an email that “one or more hostages” were taken hostage late Tuesday morning during what police called a “workplace violence-type event.” Police said earlier Tuesday that the suspect was shot by officers and “is apparently dead,” though no updates have been provided.
Wal-Mart spokesman Brian Nick released a statement saying store associates and customers are safe. Nick thanked officers, saying: “This was a very difficult situation and we are thankful for the quick response from law enforcement.”
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12:45 p.m.
Police say a suspect has been shot and is apparently dead after officers responded to a reported shooting inside a Wal-Mart store in Amarillo, Texas.
The Amarillo Police Department released a brief statement saying hostages inside the store are safe and an investigation is underway. No details were immediately provided, but police urged residents to avoid the area.
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12:40 p.m.
Police say reports that an armed person possibly holding hostages at an Amarillo, Texas, Wal-Mart “appears to be a workplace violence type event.”
The Amarillo Police Department says in a statement that there are no confirmed gunshot victims at the store as of early Tuesday afternoon.
The department says officers are inside the store and that there is “no shooting ongoing at this moment.” Police said earlier Tuesday that officers responded amid reports of an armed person inside who may have had hostages.
Police are urging residents to avoid the area.
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12:30 p.m.
Police say there are no confirmed gunshot victims at a Wal-Mart in Amarillo, Texas, amid reports that an armed person was at the store.
The Amarillo Police Department released a statement Tuesday saying officers are now inside the store and that there is “no shooting ongoing at this moment.” Police said earlier Tuesday that officers responded amid reports of an armed person inside who may have had hostages.
Police are urging residents to avoid the area.
The city released a statement saying emergency officials were “on the scene of an active shooter incident” at the store and there was no immediate word of injuries.
Authorities didn’t immediately say what may have prompted the incident in Amarillo, a city in the Texas Panhandle. Some nearby streets were closed as a precaution.
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12:20 p.m.
Police say officers are on the scene of a “reported shooting” at a Wal-Mart in Amarillo, Texas.
The Amarillo Police Department released a statement just before noon Tuesday saying they were at the store amid reports of an armed person inside who may have hostages. Police are urging residents to avoid the area.
A statement from the city says emergency officials are “are on the scene of an active shooter incident” at the store and there was no immediate word of injuries.
Authorities didn’t immediately say what may have prompted the incident in Amarillo, a city in the Texas Panhandle. Randall County sheriff’s deputies closed off some nearby streets, including an off ramp to Interstate 27, as a precaution.
Further details weren’t immediately available
