Investigators believe two women who were fatally shot at a grocery store in Elkhart, Indiana might have known their aggressor.
22-year-old Shawn Walter Bair was killed by police after he went on a shooting spree at Martin's Supermarket, resulting the deaths of a 20-year-old shopper and 44-year-old employee. Officers found Bair holding one of the managers of the store at gunpoint.
State police initially told CNN they didn't think the two deceased knew the shooter, but State Police Sgt. Trent Smith said on Thursday that some detectives heard word that Bair might have had relations with the women.
The type of relationship has not yet been disclosed, CNN reported, nor have the identities of the deceased women.
Smith told CNN that Bair walked into the store at about 9:30 p.m. holding a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, along with a hunting knife. For around 30 minutes, Bair ambled through the aisles before he took the first shot. Around 12 people were inside the store when Bair opened fire.
When police arrived on the scene, Bair was restraining the store manager, threatening to shoot. When officers managed to distract Bair, the hostage escaped. Bair also ran away, leading authorities on a 40-to-60 second search for the gunman. When police found the shooter, he pointed his firearm in their direction. Smith didn't specify whether Bair shot police first, but did say that the attacker seemed disturbed.
Grocery store workers told CNN they'd seen Bair at the store before. Some had even made his acquaintance in the past.
