A store manager was killed and two other people were wounded during a shooting at a Stop & Shop grocery store on Long Island in New York on Tuesday, police confirmed during a news conference.
Officials did not release the names of the victims, saying the two surviving individuals were rushed to local hospitals and are "conscious and alert" as they talk to investigators. Officials first responded to the scene in West Hempstead, located near the near the New York City-Nassau County border, around 11:19 a.m. EST. The suspected gunman remained at large for about four hours.
Police announced Tuesday afternoon that Gabriel DeWitt Wilson, 31, was taken into custody at an apartment building about 2 miles from the store. Information on charges and a lawyer who could speak on Wilson's behalf wasn't immediately available.
Wilson, a shopping cart wrangler at the store, went upstairs to the store's management offices immediately after arriving for work, wounding a man and a woman in one room before going down the hall and killing a 49-year-old store manager, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.
There were about a “couple hundred” shoppers inside the store at the time, Ryder said.
Barbara Butterman told Newsday she heard four or five shots while shopping for produce, initially thinking the sound was something falling in the back storeroom.
“Everyone was running around upstairs where offices were,” Butterman told the newspaper.
Wilson has a criminal record and had been taken into custody previously in Nassau County for a mental health evaluation, Ryder said.
Wilson was involved in a shooting in Baltimore seven years to the day before Tuesday’s supermarket shooting, records show. According to police, Wilson and another man fired shots at each other and were hospitalized with lower body wounds. Attempted-murder charges against Wilson in that case were later dropped, records show.
Police had previously confirmed there was an active shooter situation at the store and were "canvassing the area and nearby schools have been notified to lock down and secure their buildings. The subject has not been apprehended yet and we are asking area residents to remain indoors."
Video of the aftermath of the shooting showed police cars and ambulances parked in front of the store, officers carrying long guns and yellow crime scene tape draped across the entrance.
Nearby schools have been told not to admit visitors and residents were asked to remain indoors
Stop & Shop released a statement in response to the shooting, saying the company is "shocked and heartbroken by this act of violence that occurred at our store located at 50 Cherry Valley Road in West Hempstead, NY, today."
John R. Durso, president of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW, a union that represents many of the supermarket's employees, released a statement saying representatives are at the store to support employees, including counseling services.
"Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, our associates, customers and the first responders who have responded heroically to this tragic situation," Durso said. "At this time, we are cooperating fully with local law enforcement on the investigation. The store will remain closed until further notice, and we appreciate the Long Island community’s support during this difficult time.”
The shooting in West Hempstead followed a rash of recent mass shootings across the county, including one on March 22 that left 10 people dead at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.
This article has been updated to include more information from officials.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.