Supermarket Gunman Shawn Walter Bair Could Have Killed Many More, Police Say

Supermarket gunman Shawn Walter Bair killed two people inside Martin’s Super Market, but police said the suspected shooter could have killed many more had officers not arrived so quickly and store employees not taken heroic actions to save customers.

The shooting took place Wednesday at 10 pm, with police in Elkhart, Indiana, receiving a call for an “active shooter situation” at the store. Police say the supermarket gunman walked into the store at 9:30 pm concealing a large semi-automatic handgun, and after walking around for about half an hour opened fire.

Police said that Shawn Walker Bair shot one woman, then walked 12 aisles to the other side of the store and shot another woman.

The first victim shot, 20-year-old Krystle Dikes, was a store employee stocking shelves at the time. The supermarket gunman attempted to shoot another customer in the next aisle but missed, and then fired multiple times at 44-year-old Rachelle Godfread, who died.

Police say next the suspected supermarket gunman confronted the store’s manager, ordering the man to a “praying position” on his knees, but police arrived in time to divert Bair’s attention, allowing the manager to escape. Officers opened fire on Shawn Walter Bair, killing him.

The fast response from police, and the quick thinking of employees who herded the 12 customers to safety, may have saved many lives, officers said.

“There’s no doubt in my mind… the bravery and the quick response of the Elkhart City Police Department saved lives. There’s no doubt,” said Indiana State Police Sgt. Trent Smith. “From the time they entered the store to the time the shooter subdued is probably around one minute or so.”

Reports indicated that Shawn Walter Bair may have known the victims, but police did not elaborate on the motive of the supermarket gunman. They did say that it appeared some planning went into the supermarket shooting.

“He was going to the store with a mission. As far as how in depth the planning phase was, if this was something he thought of today or six months ago, I can’t really comment on that. We don’t know at this point,” said Smith.

Police said the supermarket gunman was also armed with a large hunting knife.