GhLinks Media
Two people are dead on Friday morning after law enforcement said a man fired shots inside a Covington Walmart and a nearby home.
Newton County deputies were called to the Walmart Supercenter on Salem Road at around 1:30 a.m. The store was closed at the time, and only employees were inside the building, they said.
According to deputies, one of the employees left the building, got a gun and went back inside to shoot and kill another employee. The suspect ran into another employee outside the Walmart and shot him, too. That person was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The suspect then went about two miles away to a house on Emerson Trail, broke in and fatally shot a woman, who deputies said was also a co-worker.
“This was not an active shooter situation,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “The suspect specifically targeted individuals they knew.”
The suspect, who has not been identified, was found and arrested in Aiken, South Carolina — about 150 miles east of Covington.
WRDW, Atlanta News First’s affiliate station in Augusta, reported that the suspect shot himself during a standoff with Aiken County deputies on I-20. He was taken to the hospital, where his condition is unknown. No deputies were injured.
Police haven’t named any of the victims, but family members said the woman killed at the home was 19-year-old Akeela Clarke.
In a statement, Walmart said it is “heartbroken” by what happened.
“There’s no place for violence in our stores,” the statement continued. “We’re focused on taking care of our associates and supporting law enforcement with their investigation.”
