A man with more than a dozen ammunition magazines and an AR-15 style rifle was shot dead after opening fire at a Target store in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday afternoon, sending employees and shoppers running for their lives, authorities said.
No one was reported injured in the attack.
The shooter was later identified as 32-year-old Joseph Jones, who had reportedly purchased the rifle four days prior to the incident. Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said the gunman shot multiple rounds while entering the store, but the bullets did not hit anyone. It is not clear whether he was shooting at a particular person.
Lauren Murphy, 21, a Target employee at the store at the time of the shooting, heard the shots ring out just after finishing her break. She was in the restroom when she received a text message telling her to stay put or run. Murphy hid in a stall and climbed on a toilet to get her feet off the ground. She texted her family and friends that she loved them, scared she would die there.
Another employee, Samuel Jacobsen, also 21 years old, was busy filling a shopping order when he heard the shots. At first, he was unsure what the sound was, so he kept working. A coworker ran by him, shouting for him to get out of the store because someone had a gun.
His body got into flight mode as he was trying to save himself. Jacobsen ran out of the store and started texting coworkers to ensure they were okay.
One of the customers told reporters that the scene inside the store was pure panic. When she heard the shots, Cathy Mahannah, 62, said she was close to Target’s entrance picking out gifts for Valentine’s day. She at first thought the loud bang was from something that fell, but she started seeing people running out of the store.
The 62-year-old grandmother was so scared that she jumped into a stranger’s car.
Responding officers got to the store in minutes. The first officers were Nebraska state troopers and Omaha police officers.
Police Chief Schmaderer said the first officers went straight into the store, confronted the man, and shot him. Officers gave several loud commands for the suspect to drop his weapon before an Omaha police officer shot him. The officer that shot Jones was Brian Vanderheiden, a 20-year veteran of the Omaha Police Department. He is now on administrative leave as the investigation is underway.
Jones was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives are tracing the weapon to determine if it was purchased legally and whether it was used in past criminal activities.
Surveillance footage from the store shows Jones pointing the gun toward the ceiling and pacing around the store before officers arrived.
