A gunman injured two people before being fatally shot by an armed civilian at a Walmart in Tumwater, Washington Sunday evening.
The incident started around 5 p.m. when police were called to a report of a possible DUI near Israel Road and Tyee Drive, located near the Toyota of Olympia. Upon arrival, officers found a 16-year-old girl who was injured during a carjacking. Police say her injuries are non-life-threatening.
While police responded to the possible DUI scene, dispatchers received multiple 911 calls about a carjacking and shots being fired at the Walmart less than a mile away.
According to the Tumwater Police Department, the suspect from the earlier carjacking entered the Walmart store around 5:30 p.m. and fired shots at a display case inside. The suspect then fled the store and shot a man while attempting to carjack his vehicle in the store parking lot.
The suspect then tried to carjack another vehicle in the parking lot when they were approached by two armed civilians. Police say one of the civilians fatally shot the suspect.
"He is a hero. This (suspect) could have taken out more people, wounded or killed," said witness Brian Adams. "(The suspect) hijacks a car apparently to get here, then hijacks another car. If this customer hadn't done what he did... Yeah, he's a hero."
Witnesses say one of the armed civilians grabbed a medical kit and rendered aid to the man who was shot by the suspect in the carjacking attempt. The victim was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious injuries. At last check, the man was listed in critical condition.
"All of a sudden, you hear this pop or a crash sound... About 15 to 20 seconds maybe even later, another sound exactly the same," said witness John Gerasimczyk. "I saw everyone else started to exit the area. Some people were moving more slowly, they were still kinda confused what was going on, so I just started shouting, go, go, go!"
Investigators say the vehicle stolen during the earlier carjacking near the Toyota dealership was recovered in the Walmart parking lot.
An active investigation was underway Sunday at multiple scenes at or around the Tumwater Walmart. All scenes are believed to be related to the incident. Police are also interviewing witnesses.
There are no other suspects in the reported shootings or carjackings at this time, police say.
KING 5's Michael Crowe and Liza Javier contributed to this report.
