Politics

1 killed, 13 others injured in shooting at Kroger supermarket outside Memphis

Doha Madani
WATCH LIVE
Emergency personnel respond to a shooting at a Kroger supermarket in suburban Memphis, Tennessee, September 23, 2021.
Joe Rondone | The Commercial Appeal | USA Today | via Reuters

One person was killed and at least 13 injured in a shooting at a Kroger grocery store Thursday afternoon in a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee.

Officers responded to reports of an active shooter at the supermarket in Collierville, a suburb about 30 miles east of downtown Memphis, just after 1:30 p.m. local time, Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said.

The suspect is dead from what authorities believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"The suspected shooter's vehicle is in the parking lot and we are waiting on some additional equipment to get here to be able to safely check that vehicle as well as some property that was on him," Lane said.

At least 12 were taken to local hospitals and one person walked into a hospital to receive treatment, Lane said. Some victims appeared to be taken to Regional One Health Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center, NBC affiliate WMC reported.

At least one person was killed in the shooting.

Emergency personnel respond to a shooting at a Kroger supermarket in suburban Memphis, Tennessee, September 23, 2021.
Joe Rondone | The Commercial Appeal | USA Today | via Reuters

The extent of the injuries is not yet clear, though Lane described them as "serious."

Authorities are working with witnesses to understand what unfolded before the shooting and did not have any information on motive.

"There were numerous employees that were working," Lane said. "We found people hiding in freezers and in locked offices ... they were doing what they had been trained to do: run, hide, fight. And so, you know, I hate that we had to do it here."

Police respond to the scene of a shooting at a Kroger's grocery store in Collierville, Tenn., on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021.
Joe Rondone | The Tennessean via AP

Lane also addressed a photo of a man on the store's roof that had been circulating on social media, saying he could not officially deny that the person was the shooter yet, but that an employee had to be extricated off the roof.

"I was part of a team that extricated an employee of Kroger from the top of the building," Lane said. "So, it's more than likely going to be a Kroger employee that was working on the roof."