Washington State Walmart shooting: Gunfire at Mount Vernon store leaves five people injured

In a recent development in Washington State, gunfire erupted at a Walmart in Mount Vernon on Sunday night, allegedly injuring three people: 19-year-old male, a 72-year-old customer and a 24-year-old Walmart employee.

According to the Police Department, shortly before 10.00 PM, officers rushed to the Walmart in the 2300 block of Freeway Drive, where they responded to reports of gunfire within the premises. Shots were fired amid an altercation between two men that led to the incident.

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Multiple people had a horrific experience of witnessing the Walmart shooting

Jessica Boots, a local, reported that she and her fiance were heading towards the checkout when the gunfire shortly began. According to reports, five people were gravely injured.

Boots elaborated:

“The gunshots started firing, and it sounded like it was right next to us. I looked back at my fiancée because he was a little bit behind me. and everybody started screaming, running through the front doors.”

Speaking of the victims, three young men were taken to the Skagit Valley Hospital by medical services. However, the other two were rushed in private vehicles. With that being said, the police have not yet revealed their conditions.

Mount Vernon police stated:

“There is no indication that this was a situation where individuals entered the store intending an active threat event.”

Another witness of the incident, Kristie Johnson, told sources that she was at the store, along with her two daughters, aged three and four. Immediately after learning about the gunshots, she hid under the Walmart garden area.

She stated:

“In that section of the store, there was like this big metal shelf with big boxes, and so we hid behind there, and then I called 911 to let them know where we were.”

Rosa Gomez, 26, revealed that she saw multiple people frantically scurrying out the Walmart. She was allegedly about to buy groceries with her friend, sister and six-year old son. Gomez stated:

“[I thought] if I stay, will something happen to my family? The first thing I did was grab my son and run to the car.”

Ms. Johnson stated that she witnessed medical services rushing to the store as multiple people were struck by the gunshots:

“At that point, all of a sudden, I mean I’ve never seen so many police, like, because we could see through the glass, we couldn’t get out. I tried all the doors, but it was all locked up.”

Around 4.30 AM, after police declared the scene safe with all victims located, the on-site investigation was finished. On Monday, the department reportedly found a puppy in a shopping cart whilst searching the store. Although they haven't been able to locate the owner, police are aware from social media that a customer was separated from their pet.

According to Mount Police, no arrests have been made as of Monday afternoon. Furthermore, they claimed to have found no apparents signs of the shooters entering the Walmart to create an "active threat event."

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