- Gunman opened fire in Martin's supermarket in Elkhart, Indiana, on Wednesday night
- The officers shot the gunman, saving the life of a captor
- Two bodies found - a young employee and shopper in her early 40s
- Shooter was carrying a large caliber handgun and a knife
- Described as a white male in his late teens/early 20s who lived in the area
A gunman walked into a northern Indiana grocery store and fatally shot two people - a shopper and an employee - on Wednesday night before he was killed by police, authorities said.
The man had his gun pointed at a third person when officers arrived at Martin's Super Market in the city of Elkhart, Indiana State Police Sgt. Trent Smith said in a press conference early Thursday.
When he trained his weapon on the officers they shot him dead, Smith said.
Martin's supermarket in Elkhart, which was flanked by police and fire officials after a shooting last night claimed three lives, including that of the gunman
The gunman is described as a white male in his late teens/early 20s who Smith said lived in the area. A large knife was also found near the man's body.
The gunman used a semi-automatic handgun to shoot and kill a woman, then walked to another aisle and shot and killed another woman, Smith said.
One victim was an employee and appeared to be in her late teens or early 20s, and the other was a shopper who appeared to be in her 40s, he said.
Smith said it was a 'huge crime scene' and that shots had been fired from one end of the store to the next. The victims were found 10 to 12 aisles apart.
The gunman is described as in his late teens/early 20s, a large knife was also found near his body
Two police officers, who were on a routine call nearby, were able to quickly respond to the scene, Smith said.
The identities of the women and gunman were not released but Smith said there was no indication that the shooter knew the victims.
'At this time, it appears that it's just random,' he said. He did not elaborate.
No other people were injured, which Sgt. Trent Smith of the Indiana State Police credited to the prompt response by the police officers.
He said: 'The quick action of the Elkhart City Police Department responding to this active shooter undoubtedly saved several lives tonight.'
The Indiana State Police will investigate because the Elkhart Police Department was involved in the shooting, Smith said.
The shooter was pointing his gun at a third person when the officers found him in a store aisle
'We do have a lot of things to look at as far as video surveillance,' Smith said, noting that state and city police were also interviewing witnesses.
Martin's Super Market posted a statement on its Facebook page, saying: 'Thank you to our community for your thoughts and prayers tonight. We will comment further when we can do so responsibly and appropriately.'
Elkhart is in far northern Indiana, just south of the Indiana-Michigan border, and about 15 miles east of South Bend.
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