AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — Officers responding to a reported shooting at a Wal-Mart store in Amarillo on Tuesday shot and killed a man who had taken two people hostage, according to police.
AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — Officers responding to a reported shooting at a Wal-Mart store in Amarillo on Tuesday shot and killed a man who had taken two people hostage, according to police.
The Amarillo Police Department released a brief statement late Tuesday afternoon identifying the suspect as 45-year-old Mohammad Moghaddam. Police say the two people Moghaddam took hostage included a manager with whom he had a work-related dispute.
No other details were released about Moghaddam or what might have led to the incident. Police say neither hostage was injured.
Police said earlier in the day that officers responded to a reported shooting at about 11 a.m. amid reports that an armed person inside the store took hostages. Police later said the suspect was shot by a police SWAT crew. Authorities also described the incident as a “workplace violence event.”
Wal-Mart spokesman Brian Nick released a statement saying store associates and customers were safe. Nick thanked officers, saying: “This was a very difficult situation and we are thankful for the quick response from law enforcement.”
Authorities said the investigation was ongoing in Amarillo, a city in the Texas Panhandle. Some nearby streets were closed as a precaution during the incident, including an off ramp to Interstate 27. The city released a statement earlier in the day, saying only that emergency officials were on the scene of an “active shooter incident.”