According to the Evansville Police Department, at least one person was wounded in a shooting at a Walmart on Thursday night in Evansville, Indiana. Law enforcement officers responded to the scene and shot and killed the suspected gunman.
Sgt. Anna Gray, a police spokesperson, announced in a news conference held on Friday afternoon that the suspect has been identified as Ronald Ray Mosley II, a 25-year-old Walmart employee who was fired in May.
Mosley was fired following his arrest on multiple battery charges, according to Gray.
On Thursday night, police chief Billy Bolin reported discovering a suicide note in his home.
Mosley was regularly attending mental health court hearings after he was arrested on battery charges, according to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office.
Mentally ill individuals admitted to a mental health court in Indiana are subject to supervised treatment plans and regular progress reviews.
According to Moers, Mosley attended a hearing on Thursday afternoon regarding the battery cases, in addition to attending mental health court nearly every two weeks.
A report of a shooting was received by police at 9:59 p.m. Thursday night.
Police reported that approximately 40 shoppers were present at the time of the incident, which occurred after Mosley entered a break room at the back of the store.
“He told everybody to line up against the wall, he had a gun in his hand, and he told two of them to stay in the middle. He ends up shooting a female at this point,” explained the chief. The woman was shot in the face and is currently being treated at a hospital in a stable condition.
In the course of the shooting, Bolin said that another male in the room was also an “intended target,” but he fled the scene of the crime. As far as was known, neither the man nor woman identified by the shooter were related to Mosley.
Gray stated that when officers arrived, they encountered a suspect who fired multiple shots at them. Officers responded by firing back, killing the suspect.
In the course of their encounter with the suspect, the officers did not sustain any injuries.
A news conference held by Bolin on Friday hailed the store’s team leader as a hero.
After the shooter fired, the shift leader “took off out the door and she ran and called 911.”
Upon the suspect’s departure, the team leader returned to the break room and assisted the wounded woman in hiding.
Currently, the police are conducting an investigation.