Oregon Grocery Store Shooting: 3 Dead Including Suspect After Gunman Opens Fire at Supermarket

According to officials, at least three individuals were murdered in a shooting inside a Safeway store in Oregon on Sunday evening.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz stated during a news conference on Sunday evening that the incident was initially reported after 7 pm on Sunday at The Forum Shopping Center in Bend, which is located approximately 130 miles southeast of the state capital Salem.

Oregon Grocery Store Shooter Among Dead

Officials verified that the alleged shooter was among the deceased but did not say how he died. According to authorities, the guy approached the shopping center from the back and first fired into a Costco parking lot and a Big Lots store.

He then entered the Safeway, walked the aisle to aisle spraying bullets, and shot one victim at the west door. According to authorities, the injured person was transferred to Saint Charles hospital and was pronounced dead upon arrival.

While no injuries were recorded in the Costco parking lot or the Big Lots shop, the suspect shot and killed another person inside the Safeway. When authorities responding to the incident entered the Safeway, they discovered a third person, believed to be the shooter, dead inside.

Another victim injured in the incident was also sent to Saint Charles Hospital. By a statement released on the hospital's Facebook page, that victim, who, like the other two, has not been recognized, is in good" condition.

Officers fired no rounds but discovered the alleged shooter dead with an AR-15 style gun alongside his corpse, according to police. The event is being investigated at the moment. Bend Police requested that folks in the neighborhood avoid the Forum Shopping Center on Monday morning as they continue to investigate the situation, Independent reported.

Store Employee Tried To Disarm Suspect

A former Safeway employee who served in the US for two decades fought a shooter in the produce area of a Bend, Oregon, supermarket, according to authorities, perhaps sparing additional victims from a gunshot that killed the employee and one other person.

Donald Ray Surrett Jr., 66, of Bend, was hailed as a hero by police, who claimed his efforts may have rescued consumers at the store. "Surrett confronted the shooter, attempted to disarm him, and may have avoided other deaths. Surrett performed valiantly in turning this tragic catastrophe," Miller stated at a press conference, fighting back tears.

Ethan Blair Miller, 20, of Bend, was identified as the shooter by police. Authorities have also established that the gunman had a blog on the Wattpad site. Those postings have now been taken down. Miller reportedly mentioned wanting to create bombs, according to the publication. The gunman lives behind The Forum Shopping Center in an apartment building, as per Daily Mail.

Miller said that when officers entered the Safeway, they discovered him dead alongside an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun. Officers did not fire any rounds. Authorities claimed that they found three Molotov bombs and a sawed-off shotgun in Miller's car and more ammo in his apartment in the development behind the retail center after serving a search warrant. They are presently collaborating with ATF to establish if the firearms were legally obtained, according to CBS News.