BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Authorities in Colorado responded Monday to what they said was an active shooter at a supermarket.
A man who had just left the store in Boulder, Dean Schiller, told The Associated Press that he heard gunshots and saw three people laying face down, two in the parking lot and one near the doorway. He said he “couldn’t tell if they were breathing.”
Police officers have escorted a shirtless man with blood running down his leg out of the store in handcuffs.
Law enforcement vehicles and officers massed outside the King Soopers grocery store, including SWAT teams, and at least three helicopters were on the roof of the store in the city that’s home to the University of Colorado and is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Denver.
“You need to surrender”
Some windows at the front of the store were broken. Authorities over a loudspeaker said the building was surrounded and that “you need to surrender.” They said to come out with hands up and unarmed.
A man who said he was shopping at the store told KCNC-TV that he heard a loud bang, then heard another, and by the third, everyone was running. He said they ran to the back of the store, found the employee area and workers told them how to escape. He said they walked single file, with their arms on the backs of those in front of them.
TV footage showed an ambulance pulled away from the store, apparently carrying the bleeding man brought out of the store in handcuffs. Officers helped some people out of the store to safety.
FBI agents helping in the investigation
The FBI said its agents were helping in the investigation at the request of Boulder police.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tweeted that he’s “closely watching unfolding events at King Soopers in Boulder. My prayers are with our fellow Coloradans in this time of sadness and grief as we learn more about the extent of the tragedy.”
Kevin Daly, owner of Under the Sun Eatery and Pizzeria Restaurant a block or so from the supermarket, said he was in his shop when he saw police cars arriving and shoppers running from the grocery store. He said he took in several people to keep them warm, and others boarded a bus provided by Boulder police and were taken away.
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Associated Press reporters James Anderson and Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed to this story.
