Employee Shot & Killed At Kaufman Walmart Store
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KAUFMAN (CBSDFW.COM) - The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office has confirmed a fatal shooting at a Walmart store in the city of Kaufman. This took place at about 9:40 a.m. on Tuesday in the 300 block of Kings Fort Parkway. The call was first reported as an active shooter situation, and then later as a murder-suicide.
According to Capt. Fred Klingelberger, the 55-year-old male suspect, Donald Ray Coleman, walked into the store's garden center and fired shots at employee, 59-year-old John Morgan. The suspect then turned the gun on himself. Authorities explained that the two men were friends.
"There has been some past history between the two," said Capt. Ed Black with the Kaufman Police Department. "Both men are from Henderson County."
When asked if there was a verbal confrontation between the suspect and the victim, Black said, "We're still looking into that."
Klingelberger initially said that both of the men died at the scene, but officials later confirmed that the suspected shooter was transported by air ambulance to a Dallas hospital in unknown condition.
There were other customers inside of the Walmart store, but nobody else was targeted and no other injuries were reported.
After the shooting, officials with Walmart issued the following statement about the incident in Kaufman.
"We're deeply saddened by the tragic situation that occurred in our store today. We're assisting law enforcement however we can and our thoughts are with the families and our associates at this time."
The store was placed on lockdown while authorities responded to the scene. A witness at nearby Stanley Chevrolet in Kaufman stated that there was a heavy police presence in the Walmart parking lot, and several roads were blocked off. Area businesses were also advised to remain on lockdown until the situation was resolved.
"We saw a lot of cops speed to the parking lot," recalled one worker from a nearby AT&T retailer.
The Kaufman Independent School District also locked down all of their campuses after the reports of shots being fired. That lockdown was lifted at around 10:30 a.m. when authorities confirmed that the scene was secure.
"I can't think of something like this happening out here in a long time," said shopper John Hefley. "Maybe it's a jealousy thing, who knows? It's bad."
