The two victims in a shooting last night at an Elkhart Martin's grocery store have been identified.
According to the Indiana State Police, 20 year old Krystle Dikes of Elkhart was employed at the grocery store. The second victim, Rachelle Godfread, 44, is believed to have been a patron shopping at the store when the shooting occured.
Update 1:40 p.m.:
The identity of the suspect involved in the shooting is now known. According to the Indiana State Police, 22 year old Shawn W. Bair of Elkhart is the suspected shooter who killed two women at an Elkhart Martin's grocery store last night.
Original Post:
Three people are dead following a shooting at an Elkhart grocery store. State police say the shooting happened just after 10 p.m. at the Martin's Super Market.
The gunman, a female shopper and a female employee are among the dead. Indiana State Police Sgt. Trent Smith said an Elkhart police officer ended the situation by shooting the suspect.
"What we believe happened is the shooter walked into the store, had a large caliber hand gun, semi-automatic," Smith said. "We don't know which victim he went to first."
A motive is still unknown. The unknown shooter was described as a man in his late teens to early 20s.
The IndyStar reports the employee appeared to be in her late teens or early 20s, and the shopper appeared to be in her 40s.
The shooter was pointing his gun at a third person when the officers found him in an aisle at the store, Smith said. Elkhart police then shot and killed the gunman, who Smith said lived in the area and was in his early 20s. A large knife was also found near the man's body.
The identities of the women and gunman were not released but Smith said there was no indication that the shooter knew the victims.
In a press conference early Thursday morning, Sgt. Smith said the Indiana State Police is investigating the situation.
Witnesses say the store was not crowded at the time of the shooting, but there are several shoppers and employees the police are questioning.
One man whose mother was working at the grocery store during the incident told the Elkhart Truth the shooting particularly disturbs him because "you can't even go to the grocery story and be safe."
Governor Mike Pence offered sympathy in a statement this morning.
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of life suffered last night during the shooting at Martin's Supermarket in Elkhart," Pence said. "I commend the Elkhart Police Department for courageously intervening and bringing the incident to a swift conclusion. The First Lady and I extend our condolences to the families of the victims and offer our prayers to the entire community during this difficult time."
