EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT)– It was a chaotic scene when a former employee opened fire last night at the westside Walmart.
Police say, about 40 employees and 40 shoppers were in the store when Ronald Mosley, a former employee, walked in with a nine-millimeter handgun. They say he went to the breakroom, where an employee meeting was just starting.
“He knew these people – told everyone to line up against the wall. He had a gun in his hand. And he told two of them to stay in the middle. He ended up shooting a female at this point,” says Evansville Police Chief, Billy Bolin.
Sergeant Anna Gray says officers arrived about 4 minutes after the 9-1-1 call, and immediately entered the store. Gray says Mosley moved around the store firing at officers inside and outside Walmart.
“The shooter does come out and he sees the officers. He fires rounds at the officers and thank god they had those vehicles right there for cover,” Sgt. Gray says.
Police say Mosley ducked back into the store. Body cam video shows officers with guns raised walking aisle by aisle looking for him, and victims, while shots rang out. After about 12 minutes, Sgt. Gray says Mosley was shot by police after repeatedly telling him to put down the gun.
“I watched videos of Evansville Police Officers and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Deputies running towards gunfire and this is why we do what we do; this is why we’re paid to do this– to put ourselves in danger. And if it weren’t for the heroic actions of some of the Walmart staff and the actions of our own police officers and sheriff’s deputies, the loss of life would have been so much worse,” says Vanderburgh Sheriff Noah Robinson.
“There is a lot of Evansville Police Officers and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Deputies that were in that building last night that were absolutely heroic,” says Chief Bolin.
More than 90 officers from the Evansville Police Department, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, and several other agencies, responded to the scene and none of them were injured.
