Two police officers were wounded and a suspect was killed in a shooting Monday morning inside a Walmart Supercenter in Forrest City, Arkansas, according to police and multiple TV news reports.
Reports said one of the police officers was shot four times.
Both deputies were rushed to separate local hospitals, Fox13 Memphis reported.
One of the officers was reported in critical condition after being airlifted, while the other officer transported by ambulance was reported to be conscious and talking, according to reports.
The suspected gunman, identified as Bobby Joe Gibbs, was killed when officers returned fire, said St. Francis County Sheriff Bobby May.
Gibbs was pronounced dead at the scene.
News station KATV was the first to report the shooting just before noon Monday.
Witnesses at the scene said the gunfire began when officers approached the suspect who had been threatening customers inside the store, according to WREG News Channel 3 in Memphis.
The suspect allegedly said he was going to blow up the Walmart, reports said.
One witness said she ran for the exits after hearing a burst of at least 12 gunshots in the rear of the store.
Another witness said a store employee may have been injured in the shooting, but there was no official confirmation.
Police immediately evacuated the business after the shooting and blocked off local streets, according to reports.
Arkansas state police were investigating and special agents with U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were responding to the scene , reports said.
As a precaution, officials locked down all Forrest City School campuses, according to reports.
Forrest City is about 45 miles west of Memphis and about 85 miles east of Little Rock.
Last year on August 3, a gunman killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.
The retailer was criticized for having insufficient security at the store on that day has since quietly expanded security at all its El Paso stores to include an armed off-duty police officer and a security guard, according to The Associated Press.
A spokeswoman for the company said in November that the hiring of off-duty officers in El Paso was not a blanket policy.
It’s unclear what security measures were in place at the Forrest City store on Monday.
Walmart issued a short statement after the incident.
"We are aware of the incident that took place at our store in Forrest City, AR this morning. We will continue to work with the Forrest City Police Department to assist in their investigation."
— This is a developing story. Information from The Associated Press was used to supplement this report. Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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