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SWAT team shoots, kills gunman; hostages safe at Texas Walmart

Posted at 11:21 AM, Jun 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-14 16:32:10-04

AMARILLO, Texas – Authorities say the SWAT team has shot and killed the alleged gunman accused of taking at least one person hostage in an Amarillo, Texas, Walmart Tuesday.

All hostages are now safe.

Amarillo Police posted this update:

The incident inside the Wal-Mart at 4215 Canyon Drive is still under investigation.  The initial call of an armed person/shooting possible barricaded suspect call came in at about 11:06 AM.  Initial information is that this was a workplace violence event. APD and many other agencies responded to the call.  One or more hostages were taken by a male suspect inside the store.  APD and officers from other agencies responded and entered the store, and APD SWAT officers also responded. At 12:22 PM, an APD SWAT officer came into contact with the suspect and shot him.  Initial information is that a hostage or hostages are safe, and no one is injured except the suspect.  The Special Crimes Unit will take over the investigation and will release more detail as available.  The suspect’s name has not been released.

Click here for the latest updates from the Amarillo Police Dept.

Police said he barricaded himself in a local Walmart store with hostages in what authorities are calling a “workplace violence event,” according to a spokeswoman for the city of Amarillo.

A police SWAT team entered the store about an hour and fifteen minutes after a 911 call came in about 11:06 a.m. CT reporting an armed man with hostages in the store, spokeswoman Sonja Gross said.

Nobody but the hostage taker was injured in the operation, Gross said.

The department’s special crimes unit is investigating and the suspect’s name has not been released.

Walmart tweeted a statement on the incident.