Crime & Safety

Walmart Employee Killed By Teen Shooter At Store: Reports

An encounter between the shooter and the worker escalated to a physical altercation, according to police, who said the male retrieved a gun.

HAMMOND, IN — A woman was fatally shot Monday at a Walmart in northwest Indiana, according to police.

Law enforcement responded shortly after 9 a.m. to the business in the 1100 block of Fifth Avenue after an off-duty Hammond police officer working store security reported that a shooting had occurred and a person was in custody, authorities said.

A male had been speaking with the woman, a store employee in her mid-20s, when the encounter escalated to a physical altercation, according to police, who said the male retrieved a gun and shot the victim repeatedly.

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The gunman, who WLS reported appeared to be around 18, remained in custody Monday, police said.

“Based on the information currently available, investigators believe this was an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the public,” the Hammond Police Department said in a social media post.

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The store was expected to be closed for the rest of Monday, according to police.

The company in a statement and through a spokesperson told WLS it was heartbroken by the shooting, was working closely with authorities and was offering support to employees.

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