Two men are confirmed dead and a female has been transported to a local hospital following a shooting in a Thornton, Colorado, Walmart. After an hour standoff, the situation is no longer considered active and witnesses claim at least one individual has been taken into custody. The city of 120,000 people is in shock after the shooting and community members are gathering around the shopping center searching for answers and reassurance that their loved ones are safe.
Many witness accounts from the shooting are starting to appear on news feeds as officials attempt to piece together the entire timeline of events. According to several witnesses inside the Walmart at the time of the shooting, police were called to the box store at about 6:30 p.m. local time. It is unknown at the time this article was published what provoked the shooting, but witnesses report many gunshots were fired before the situation was resolved.
The Walmart Super Center, located at 9901 Grand Street in Thornton, Colorado, was quickly surrounded by emergency responders as a call for multiple parties down went out over the radio. The Thornton Police Department has confirmed two deaths, both adult males, and one female transported to the local hospital. No further injuries or fatalities have been confirmed.
PIO on scene. Media should stage on E. 98th Ave, east of Grant St. (2) confirmed deceased adult males, (1) adult female transported pic.twitter.com/HU4YcZ2Wlz
— Thornton Police Dept (@ThorntonPolice) November 2, 2017
Community members and shoppers from the surrounding stores are reported to be gathering in nearby parking lots awaiting news from their loved ones. The number of people in the Walmart at the time of the shooting is unknown at this time. While some shoppers called their loved ones and reported their safety or to tell them about the unfolding events, many more are left with questions about whether their family members and friends were among the injured. Police officers are reportedly interviewing witnesses and treating the Walmart Super Center as an active crime scene.
Although many were scared for their lives, tales of strangers helping each other are already emerging from this heartbreaking situation. A Colorado Bureau of Investigation officer, Manny Colmenero , gave his jacket to a teenage staff member who escorted a lady to safety. Colmenero told the teenager to keep the jacket and move to safety after asking if he was cold. This multiple casualty shooting comes on the heels of other deadly events both in the United States and abroad.
[Featured Image by Eric Gay/AP Images]
