A police officer shot and killed a woman who was holding a Walmart employee hostage inside a Walmart in Richland, Mississippi on Thursday.
The incident happened around 5:45 p.m., and the Rankin County Coroner arrived later in the evening, 16 WAPT News Jackson reported. (RELATED: Walmart Shooter Who Killed 7, Including Himself, Was An Employee, Police Say)
Viral video posted to TikTok showed an apparent hostage situation unfold at a Walmart in Richland, Mississippi. A woman held a Walmart employee at gunpoint. News reports indicate the suspect was shot dead by police. No other injuries were reported. 📹: 504bigmama pic.twitter.com/KZKYPTn0jC
— Malik Earnest (@MalikEarnest) December 22, 2022
“Richland Police are on scene at Walmart working an incident involving a weapon the scene is secure and we are working to provide more details,” the Richland Police Department tweeted Thursday.
The department added in a separate Facebook post that all of its officers were safe, the Walmart had closed, and that an independent investigation would be conducted.
A witness, who described the scene as “just terrifying,” said she counted 15 police cars in the Walmart parking lot after the incident.
“[We] barely got in,” the witness told 16 WAPT News. “People were running out and people were screaming ‘get out’ to me and my cousin. So, of course we ran out. And it was just horrifying, and then we heard the gunshot.”
It’s not clear what led to the shooting, but no one else was injured. The name of the person who was killed — a 21-year-old woman from Arkansas — was not revealed, 16 WAPT reported.