Employee shot and killed at Walmart in Hammond, Indiana; suspect in custody
A woman was shot and killed inside a Walmart in Hammond, Indiana, where she worked early Monday morning.
Hammond police said at 9:09 a.m., officers were called to the Walmart Supercenter at 1100 5th Ave., just across the Indiana state line from Chicago.
Police said a man was talking with a Walmart employee in an aisle at the store when the encounter turned physical. The man then took out a gun and shot the woman multiple times, police said.
"The female was an employee here. The male suspect was approaching her. They got into a physical altercation at some point, at which point he retrieved a firearm and he shot her several times," Hammond Police Capt. Steve Kellogg said.
Police said the victim was in her mid-20s and investigators believe the shooter is 18 years old. The victim's name has not been released.
An off-duty police officer was at the store working private security at the time of the shooting and immediately responded to the gunfire, police said.
"[The suspect] went a couple aisles over, sat down on the ground, and waited for police, which at this point, our officer was there, put him in custody," Kellogg said. "It does appear that they know each other. They have quite a long conversation before anything takes place."
No customers were injured in the shooting, and police do not believe any customers were in the aisle where the shooting happened at the time. Another employee who was in the aisle at the time was not injured.
Investigators believe the incident was isolated and there was no threat to the public.
In a statement, Walmart said, "We're heartbroken by what's happened at our Hammond, IN store. We're working closely with authorities as they continue investigating."
