A former employee was fatally shot Thursday, January 19th after he opened fire inside an Indiana Walmart, wounding at least one person, according to local police.
Evansville police and Vanderburgh County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an active shooter incident at the Walmart in Evansville, Indiana at around 9:59 pm Thursday evening. Police accounts then describe how Ronald Mosley II, had entered the store and opened fire on employees. Mosley, who according to reports previously worked at the southeast Indiana store, shot and critically wounded a female employee at the store.
Officers indicate that customers and employees tried to hide or escape before officers arrived. According to body camera footage reviewed by police, Mosley tried to exit the store but was confronted at the door by officers. Mosley then went back inside the store and began opening fire on police. Accounts indicate that there were “numerous gunfights inside the building and outside.”
“When officers went in, they were trying to locate the suspect and he was all over the store,” said Sergeant Anna Gray. “He would shoot at officers and move. So it wasn’t contained to just one area inside.”
After firing multiple shots at police officers, officers shot and killed the gunman during a gunfire exchange. The incident lasted about 15 minutes.
Evansville police speculate that Mosby “probably had some sort of relationship with the victim in terms of being a co-worker.” They did not immediately release the name of the victim, her age, or the extent of her injuries. She was taken to one hospital and later flown to another, according to reports. Her condition was unknown Friday morning.
Considering the chaos surrounding the shooting, police did not immediately know how many people, aside from the female employee, that Mosley may have shot, indicating that there could have been additional victims who fled the scene. No additional victims have been identified at this time. They are looking to interview more witnesses as the investigation continues.
Evansville is a city of around 117,000 residents in southern Indiana along the Ohio river near the border with Kentucky.
Walmart said it would be supporting its employees in the wake of the shooting, and it thanked first responders.
“The entire Walmart family is shocked by the senseless violence that occurred at our Evansville store, and our hearts are with our associate at this time,” the company said. “As we learn more, we’ll do everything we can to support our associates as they cope with this tragedy.”
The shooting in Evansville occurred nearly two months after a manager killed six employees and wounded at least a half-dozen others at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia when he began shooting before a routine employee meeting two days ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
