The gunman who shot a store worker and killed a popular shopper has been arrested after going on a run.
The authorities have arrested 39-year-old Aaron Christopher Kelly after the man critically injured an employee and killed a shopper at the Fred Meyer store in Richland.
While the critically wounded worker remains unnamed and in critical condition, the deceased victim of the shooting has since been identified as 38-year-old Justin Krumbah who was commonly buying groceries for his clients at the store.
According to the reports, Kelly opened fire at the Richland store after getting into a verbal argument with Krumbah on Monday at around 11 am. After shooting the young man and the worker, the gunman fled the scene in a vehicle, prompting a massive police manhunt.
“The terror in the eyes of these people that came and took cover in my shop. I just, I mean, I had never seen terror in anyone’s eyes quite like what I saw there,” Robert Cronkite, a businessman who owns a store nearby, said as he recalled the shooting in an interview with KIRO Newsradio.
“The guy that did it … He literally walked out of there, casually pushing a shopping cart. And you can see the satchels, you know, the gurney bag, wherever he’s got these guns when he walked out. He gets in his white Dodge pickup, and the guy drives off.”
Now, Kelly was arrested by the police on Interstate 90 some 130 miles away from the crime scene.
Following his arrest, the 39-year-old has been charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at our Fred Meyer store located on 101 Wellsian Way in Richland, Washington,” the Fred Meyer supermarket chain expressed in a statement after the horrific shooting.
“The entire Fred Meyer family offers our thoughts, prayers and support to all affected individuals and families during this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, friends and colleagues paid a tribute to Krumbah as they recalled him as a kind and joyful person.
“He always had a smile on his face and was an absolute joy to be around,” one Richland Fred Meyer employee said. “He was far and away one of my favorite parts of coming in and made those extra hard days seem not so bad.”
“He was an amazing guy. I always had a bit of a better day when he was in. It’s truly heartbreaking that he had to go to heaven today,” another expressed.
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