An early morning shooting today at a Pathmark grocery store in Old Bridge, New Jersey, left three people dead, including the shooter. Here are the top 10 facts you need to know.
1. The Shooter Was a Military Man
Police say the shooter is 23-year-old ex-Marine Terence Tyler, who wielded an AK-47 type assault rifle plus an automatic handgun while wearing desert camouflage. From Brooklyn, he was a Marine rifleman who served from March 2008 to February 2010 at TwentyNine Palms in California — never deploying overseas. He was reportedly planning to get married.
2. His Victims Were Young
Tyler killed 24-year-old Bryan Breen and 18-year-old Cristina LoBrutto before killing himself. Adding to the tragedy, Lobrutto wasn’t scheduled to work this morning; she was covering a shift for a friend.
3. Tyler Was an Employee
The shooter had worked at the Pathmark store for the past two weeks. He left the building today around 3:30 a.m. after an argument with co-workers. He sped off in his car and then returned, dressed for battle and wielding weapons.
4. Tyler Had Lots of Ammo
The shooter fired 16 bullets. Several magazines were found at the scene. He killed the two victims in separate areas of the store.
5. No Customers Were Involved
The incident happened while overnight employees were stocking shelves. The store was closed at the time and scheduled to open at 6 a.m. There were about 12 employees working.
6. There Was no Shootout
Police did not fire their weapons. By the time they arrived the shooter was dead.
7. But Cops Responded in Force
Eyewitness News photo.
A 15-person SWAT team was spotted in the parking lot this morning. Police set up a temporary command center at a nearby TGI Fridays.
8. It Was a Suburban Tragedy
The Pathmark store is located at 1043 Route 9 in a shopping center. Old Bridge is about 25 miles from Manhattan. According to Wikipedia, it’s a bedroom community “named as a contender for the title of one of the best places to live in the United States by Money magazine in both 2005 and 2007.”
9. They Saw Him Coming
There were broken windows in the front of the store where Tyler shot his way into the building after first shooting at an employee in the parking lot. Employees in the store ran for cover.
10. Targets Were Random
Police don’t believe the two murder victims were specific targets. They suspect Tyler was looking to kill any employee.