Walmart Gunman Got Ammo at Store Before Shooting

A gunman bought ammunition at a Walmart in Nevada shortly before opening fire on three co-workers in the same store, authorities said Monday.

Suspect John Dennis Gillane purchased the handgun ammunition in the sporting goods department about an hour before three managers were shot on Friday, police said.

The attacker was armed with two handguns during the videotaped attack but only a semi-automatic pistol was fired, police Lt. Mohammad Rafaqat said. The .44-magnum revolver for which the ammunition was bought was not fired, Rafaqat added.

The condition of two victims wounded in their torsos was upgraded Monday from serious to stable condition at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. A man wounded in the leg was released after treatment Friday. Their names were not released.

The gunman surrendered to police after six hours in a store office.

Gillane was being held at the Washoe County jail pending a court appearance on attempted murder and battery charges. Police said he didn't have a lawyer yet.

Gillane, 45, had been a Walmart employee off an on for nine years and most recently worked in the store's receiving department.

Police initially said they thought he had faced the loss of his job. But Walmart officials said there was no plan to fire Gillane on Friday, Rafaqat said, and it was unclear why managers were confronted.

"Gillane indicated he had some employment-related grievances with Walmart," Rafaqat said. "We're not at liberty to disclose the specifics of the grievances."

Lorenzo Lopez, a spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said the company doesn't comment on personnel matters.

"We don't have any information to provide. There's an ongoing investigation, so police will look into the matter and determine what issues there will be," he said.

Reno Police Chief Steve Pitts said Gillane bought the ammunition then waited in a store restroom for an hour after finding no one in the manager's office.

After Gillane returned to the office, a manager ran into a hallway and was shot, Pitts said. Two other managers were shot moments later in an attack captured on surveillance tape. Four shots were fired in all, and one victim was struck twice.

Police arrived at the store within two minutes, the chief said, and it was quickly evacuated after officers ensured the gunman was confined to the manager's office.

"The rapid response probably was responsible for saving lives and reducing injuries," the chief said.