AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Lights flash on a police patrol vehicle.
A Sam’s Club in East Houston reopened Monday following a fatal shooting late Saturday in which a man was killed by police.
According to the Houston Police Department (HPD), the man was fatally shot by officers after he opened fire on Sam’s Club employees. The man was allegedly breaking into cars in the parking lot before employees confronted him.
The incident occurred at the Sam’s Club on the south side of Interstate 10.
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“Employees who were inside of the business ran outside when they heard that going on,” HPD Assistant Chief Christy Smith said during a news conference early Sunday. “At this time, the suspect shot at the employees of the store who retreated back inside of the store. The suspect followed them inside of the store and continued shooting.”
Police officers subsequently arrived, and there was an “exchange of gunfire between officers and the suspect,” Smith said.
The man who allegedly opened fire on the employees was shot multiple times by police and later pronounced dead after being transferred to a local hospital, according to Smith. The man’s identity was not immediately released.
According to police, no officers or store employees were injured.
Walmart, which owns and operates Sam’s Club stores, said in a statement to Houston TV station KHOU that the location would be closed Sunday. Houston Public Media confirmed that it reopened Monday.
“The safety and security of our members and associates is our top priority,” Walmart said in its statement to KHOU. “We appreciate law enforcement for their swift action and will continue cooperating with the investigation.”