The scene of the active shooter and hostage situation in Amarillo, Texas. (Google Maps)
A store employee has been shot dead after opening fire inside a Walmart where he worked in Amarillo, Texas, and then taking his manager and another person hostage, police say.
The suspect, Mohammad Moghaddam, 54, was shot by a SWAT officer, according to a police press release. No one else was injured.
“APD and several other agencies are on scene at the Walmart on Georgia,” police said in an initial press release. “There are reports of an armed subject inside who may have hostages. More info when it’s available. Please avoid the area so that officers can focus on the scene and not traffic. Any media is asked to respond to the area of 42nd and Georgia.”
The shooting was first reported about 11:10 a.m. local time. Mohammad was killed about 12:20 p.m.
Here is what you need to know:
1. There Have Been No Injured Victims Found at the Store, Police Say
The view of the active shooter scene at Walmart from I-27 & Austin, northeast corner of the store. @PanhandlePBS
No one other than the gunman, Mohammad Moghaddam, was injured, police said.
You can listen to the initial police and fire radio dispatches below:
Police, firefighters and ambulances swarmed the Walmart area and got everyone inside the building out.
2. The Suspect Was an Iranian Immigrant Who Was Passed Over for a Promotion
APD reported suspect shot by SWAT & killed, hostages safe. @PanhandlePBS
The suspect, Mohammad Moghaddam, a current or former Walmart employee, was said to be a Somalian man wearing khaki pants, KFDA-TV reported.
But his family later told the Amarillo Globe-News that they immigrated to the United States from Iran eight years ago.
Police said Moghaddam was angry because he was passed over for a promotion.
He was killed about an hour after the hostage situation began.
The gunman had barricaded himself inside the manager’s office with the two hostages, police said.
Police were in contact with his wife, according to police radio transmissions. He spoke mainly Farsi, and police were searching for an interpreter.
There are no other suspects, despite initial reports of multiple gunmen.
3. Police Are Considering the Situation to be ‘Workplace Violence’
HUGE police response at Walmart on Georgia and I-27, DPS chopper circling overhead @amarilloglobe
Police said at a press conference that the gunman, Mohammad Moghaddam, was a fellow employee of the hostage, and they are considering it to be “workplace violence.”
Amarillo PD: Hostage is a fellow employee of the gunman. “SWAT teams are on scene….we are trying to get in contact” with gunman.
Amarillo PD: “This is going to be considered a workplace violence incident at this point”.
Other details about a possible motive have not been released.
4. The Suspect Was Reported to be Wearing a Multi-Colored Plaid Shirt Over a Walmart Shirt
The suspect was reported to be wearing a multi-colored plaid shirt over a Walmart shirt, according to police radio dispatches.
#Amarillo Police: “We are treating this as a workplace violence”.
According to police radio dispatches, several people were inside the store and “screaming” could be heard. You can listen to the initial police and fire radio dispatches below:
While shots were reported fired, witnesses told 911 dispatchers that no one had been shot.
5. Amarillo Is a City of About 190,000 in the Texas Panhandle
Armed Randall Co deputy blocking street behind Walmart at I-27 & Georgia St where an active shooterreportedly is.
Amarillo is a city of about 190,000 people in the Texas panhandle. It is the 14th largest city in the state.
The Walmart Supercenter is located at 4215 Canyon Drive, according to the store’s website.
Avoid the Walmart at I-27 & Georgia – first responders are on scene of active shooter incident. No word of injuries at this time.
Police have been closing roads around the store and are asking people to avoid the area.
The Walmart is located at I-27 and Georgia, according to the city.
Police officers were searching the Walmart building, clearing each department, according to police radio transmissions. The store was about 90 percent cleared as of 12:15 p.m. local time, and the gunman remained at large, according to police radio broadcasts.
A command center has been set up outside the store.
A bank and other businesses nearby were also locked down.