Fred Meyer shooting: Suspected gunman arrested, facing 1st-degree murder charge

RICHLAND, Wash. — The suspected gunman is in police custody after a shooting at a southeast Washington Fred Meyer store left one person dead and another injured Monday, authorities said.

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Here are the latest updates:

Update 3:01 a.m. EST Feb. 8: Authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with a deadly shooting Monday at a Fred Meyer store in Richland.

In a Facebook post late Monday, Richland police said Aaron Christopher Kelly, 39, was “taken into custody without incident” after authorities stopped him on Interstate 90 between Sprague and Spokane.

Kelly will be booked in the Benton County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder, police said.

“We thank the numerous law enforcement partners that quickly collaborated to apprehend this subject,” the post read.

Update 11:15 p.m. EST Feb. 7: Friends and co-workers identified the man killed Monday inside the Fred Meyer store in Richland as an InstaCart shopper with a “positive can-do attitude,” the Tri-City Herald reported.

Justin Krumbah, 38, was one of two people shot by a gunman at about 11 a.m. He died on the scene, the newspaper reported. Initial reports identified Krumbah as a customer.

Meanwhile, police investigators confirmed to the Herald that the Fred Meyer employee critically wounded in the shooting was undergoing surgery at an area hospital late Monday.

Update 10:58 p.m. EST Feb. 7: A $1 million nationwide warrant has been issued for Aaron Christopher Kelly, 39, suspected of killing a Fred Meyer customer and critically wounding an employee on Monday afternoon, the Tri-City Herald reported.

Police in Richland, Washington, have not disclosed the identities of the alleged shooter, the customer or employee, but online records indicate that Judge Dave Petersen signed the warrant seeking Kelly’s arrest on Monday.

According to the Herald, an internal Richland Police Department “officer safety” memo, issued by Interim Police Chief Brigit Clary, identified Kelly as the man suspected of opening fire inside the Wellsian Way store at about 11 a.m.

Kelly is described as 6-foot, 190-pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a “black puffy sleeveless shell/vest over black and gray plaid shirt and light-colored pants or jeans,” the memo stated.

“What happened in our city today was a senseless and tragic act. Our hearts and thoughts are with the families of the victims,” Clary said during a news conference early Monday evening.

“We want to assure our community that we are taking every measure to locate the suspect. We will not rest until he is in custody,” she added.

Meanwhile, Cmdr. Chris Lee with the Richland Police Department confirmed to the Herald that the man killed inside the Fred Meyer store had a “heated conversation” with the suspected shooter just moments before he was shot, but the nature of their “interaction” remained unclear.

Update 4:15 p.m. EST Feb. 7: Police said it was not immediately clear what led to Monday’s shooting, including whether the incident was targeted or random.

Richland police Commander Chris Lee told reporters that the gunman, who has not been identified, is believed to be armed with a handgun and dangerous. Lee advised anyone who sees him to call 911.

Update 4 p.m. EST Feb. 7: Officials with the Seattle Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping to support authorities investigating Monday’s deadly shooting in Richland.

Update 3:50 p.m. EST Feb. 7: One person died and another was injured in Monday afternoon’s shooting, officials told the Tri-City Herald and KEPR-TV.

The shooting happened just after 11 a.m., the Herald reported. Police released images of a man identified as a suspect in the incident a short while after shots rang out.

Original report: Police asked residents to avoid the area around the Fred Meyer on Wellsian Way in Richland as authorities continued to respond to an “active scene.”

“The suspect has not yet been located,” police said in a social media post.

Officials with the Kennewick Police Department released images after the incident that showed a man in a black face mask and vest pushing a shopping cart. Authorities asked for the public’s help identifying the man, who was being sought “in relation to a shooting at the Richland Fred Meyer.”

In a subsequent update, police said that the vehicle seen in the images released Monday was not involved in the incident.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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