Police: 1 dead in Washington state grocery store shooting

RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a man who opened fire Monday at a grocery store in Washington state, killing one person and injuring another.

The suspect in the shooting at a Fred Meyer store in Richland was a white man with a handgun, police said. He is believed to have fled the store after the 11:04 a.m. shooting, though it was not known he left by foot or in a vehicle, Richland police Commander Chris Lee said.

The Tri-City Herald reports photos from store surveillance footage show the suspect was wearing a plaid shirt with a dark-colored down vest, a black gaiter or scarf pulled over his nose, light-colored pants and athletic shoes.

Employees and customers were escorted out of the store to a parking lot while officers went aisle by aisle searching for the shooter.

Police and sheriff’s deputies from across the Tri-Cities area in Eastern Washington were called to help, and area schools were placed on lockdown.

Richland is about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Seattle.