A gunman who allegedly opened fire inside a Washington state grocery store on Monday morning entered the market pushing a cart containing a duffel bag and backpack, authorities said Tuesday.
The suspect, Aaron Christopher Kelly, then began walking the aisles of Fred Meyer in Richland before encountering his first victim, Justin Krumbah, according to the Richland Police Department.
"There was a 10 to 15-second interaction between Kelly and Krumbah," a police spokesperson said at a news conference. "Kelly then produced a handgun and fatally shot Krumbah.”
Krumbah, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting happened just after 11 a.m. local time on Monday. A Fred Meyer employee was injured and underwent surgery Monday afternoon, Richland Police Department Commander Chris Lee said.
The employee, who has not been identified, remained in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the police spokesperson. Investigators found no evidence that Kelly knew either of the victims.
Lee previously said that a motive for the shooting is still being investigated. “We don’t know what the cause was. We don’t know if it was specifically intentional or targeted toward any one person," he said.
Kelly fled the store after the shooting and was arrested "without incident" about 12 hours later in his vehicle, on Interstate 90 between Sprague and the City of Spokane, police said. The handgun used has not been recovered, officials said at Tuesday's news conference.
The suspect was booked into the Benton County Jail on first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder charges. He invoked his rights and is not speaking with investigators, according to police.
People who knew Kelly told investigators that his condition had "declined" over the last few weeks and months and that he had been distancing himself from friends and family.
Fred Meyer, located near the Oregon border, said it was "deeply saddened" by the tragedy and will remain closed during the investigation.
