New details surrounding a shooting at a Kroger store in Kentucky that left two people dead Wednesday suggest race may have been a motivating factor in the deadly attack.
Chaos erupted at the supermarket in a suburb of Louisville after authorities say a suspect, identified as 51-year-old Gregory Alan Bush, walked inside the busy Kroger location and fired several shots at a man before heading outside and opening fire on a woman.
Police say Gregory Alan Bush entered a busy Kroger store and fatally shot two people; one inside and one in the parking lot. (Image courtesy of WKYT)
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Jeffersontown Police Chief Sam Rogers said.
Recounting the incident, Rogers said the suspect encountered another man with a gun moments after shooting and killing a woman in the parking lot. The two exchanged shots with each other, but neither was injured. The son of another man who confronted Bush told local station WAVE News that the shooter said something odd before fleeing the scene.
“[My dad] said the guy had walked up on him and had a gun in his hand, and my dad had his gun drawn,” the son explained, adding that his dad promised not to shoot as long the suspect didn’t shoot. The shooter replied “whites don’t kill whites,” he said.
It’s rumored that both of the victims were African-Americans, but authorities have yet to confirm their identities.
Another witness, Eric Deacon, told WAVE News he attempted CPR on the woman after she was shot in the parking lot. He quickly found his efforts had come too late, however.
“I hollered, “Look, I’m an EMT. Let me go out here and try to help this woman,’ ” he recalled. “But I looked at her and I was like, “Fellas, she’s gone. There’s nothing I can do.'”
“I just never would’ve thought this would happen in J-town,” he added. Deacon added the shooter who exchanged fire with Bush was an African-American male.
Bush attempted to flee the scene after the shootings but was apprehended by police a short while later. He is now charged with two counts of murder and 10 counts of wanton endangerment. Bush spent a few hours at the Jeffersontown Police Department but was later transported to the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, where he remains in custody. His motive is still unclear.
Kroger addressed Wednesday’s tragedy in a statement this week.
“We are shocked and saddened by the shooting incident that occurred around 2:30 p.m. ET today,” the company wrote. “Thanks to the quick response of the local police department, the suspect was apprehended and our store is secure. We’re cooperating with law enforcement and assisting with their investigation.”
The store remained closed Thursday but is expected to reopen at 7 a.m. Friday.
Bush was issued a $5 million bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.
It has been reported that two black people were killed in a Kroger in Kentucky today. Listen to this interview with the son of the man who confronted the shooter. #ThisIsAmerica. 2018. https://t.co/pZMLJz60bx pic.twitter.com/ed2z3I2ptx
— deray (@deray) October 25, 2018
