The shooting took place around 3:30 p.m. PT Saturday, when dispatchers received multiple calls from the distribution center reporting that there was an active shooter and several shots fired, Lt. Yvette Borden, a spokeswoman for the County Sheriff’s Office. from Tehama.
Witnesses described seeing a man driving to the main parking lot of the distribution center, where he circled the parking lot four times, before crashing his car into the building, Borden said. The man got out of his vehicle with what was described as a semi-automatic rifle.
Surrounding agencies responded to the scene to assist the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office, with a Red Bluff police officer who was the first to arrive. The officer exchanged fire with the suspect and was joined moments later by another Red Bluff officer, Borden said.
The suspect was shot and taken to a local hospital, Red Bluff city manager Rick Crabtree told CNN by phone.
Hendrickson said St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff, part of Dignity Health, received a total of six patients from the Walmart Distribution Center.
Two are dead and four are in good condition, Hendrickson said. He was unable to provide information on the nature of the injuries or the ages of those taken to the hospital.
A Walmart spokesperson told CNN that they are aware of the situation and are working with the police. The company released a statement saying they were “deeply saddened by this tragic incident.”
“Our focus is to support our associates as well as their families and coworkers at the facility. This is an active police investigation and we will continue to work with the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office and assist in their investigation in any way possible.” . Walmart statement read.
The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a criminal investigation with the assistance of the Department of Justice and the FBI. The Tehama County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident portion of the police shooting of the incident, according to Borden.
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