Kroger killer was 29-year-old 'sushi chef' who was fired earlier that day
The disgruntled worker who killed one and wounded 14 at a Kroger grocery story in Tennessee was a 29-year-old 'sushi chef' who was fired earlier that day, according to witnesses and police.
UK Thang, a 29-year-old 'third-party vendor' at the Collierville Kroger, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after shooting ten Kroger employees and four customers, Collierville Police Department Chief Dale Lane said during a press conference on Friday.
ABC24's Brad Broders tweeted that Thang, who had previously lived in Utah before moving to Tennessee, had been fired from his job as a sushi chef earlier in the day before returning to the supermarket and opening fire.
'My sister was working till 2,' a woman wrote on Facebook.
'The sushi chef had disagreement with another employee and they had sushi chef leave or fired him and he came back. She heard first pop sound thought it was balloons then heard more. I can’t imagine the horror they all felt.'
UK Thang, 29, was identified as a 'third-party vendor' and the gunman who opened fire at Kroger in Collierville, Tennessee before killing himself
Olivia King's son Wes shared this photo of his mother with her youngest son, Greg King. She was the only person to be killed during Thursday's mass shooting
One person is dead and 15 others injured after a gunmen opened fire at a Kroger grocery store (pictured) near Memphis on Thursday, according to authorities
A police officer walks towards the parking lot of the Kroger where a shooting occurred on September 23, 2021 in Collierville, Tennessee
Thang had a relatively minor criminal history prior to Friday's mass shooting, cops said.
'I believe misdemeanor arrests but nothing related to violence,' Lane said.
Lane revealed that authorities served a search warrant Thursday night at a nearby apartment complex, where they confiscated a number of electronics among other evidence, with one additional person at the residence being questioned.
Thang shot and killed shopper Olivia King, 70, after she stopped by the supermarket following Thursday morning Mass.
'Our family is devastated by this senseless act of violence. We ask that you pray for the repose of the soul of our mother, Olivia,' one of her sons, Wes King, told ABC News.
'We also ask everyone for their prayers for all families and friends affected by the events today, as well as for God's mercy on the shooter and his family. Thank you.'
Meanwhile, police said there were 'very serious' injuries among the 15 shooting victims, with five listed in critical condition at area hospitals, ABC reports.
One patient has been discharged as of Friday, hospital staff confirmed to ABC News Thursday evening.
Another victim was not shot but was hospitalized for a panic attack, according to police.
An FBI agent steps over soft drink bottles and broken glass as he walks through a damaged entrance at a Kroger grocery store Friday
Police say a gunman, who has been identified as a third-party vendor to the store, attacked people Thursday and killed at least one person and wounded others before killing himself
Police respond to the scene of a shooting at a Kroger's grocery store in Collierville, Tennessee, on Thursday
According to ABC News, some employees were forced to take refuge in freezers and locked offices after Thang opened fire around 1:30 pm Thursday afternoon. Another Kroger employee hid on the store's roof.
Brignetta Dickerson, a cashier at the Collierville Krogers, told WATN that she fled to a back room with several shoppers, before Thang entered the room and again opened fire, shooting a customer in the stomach, an employee in the head and another employee in the cheek. Thang then left the back room and continued on with his shooting spree.
'All of a sudden, I went through the receiving department ... and here he comes right behind us and start shooting and he kept shooting and shooting and shooting,' she told WATN.
Another customer, Tawana French, was walking towards the Kroger supermarket on Thursday afternoon when she saw adults and children alike running away from the store.
People embrace following a shooting at a Kroger's grocery store in Collierville on Thursday
A Kroger employee talks on a cellphone following a shooting at the site of Thursday's mass shooting at the Collierville Kroger's grocery store
'A split second later, I hear gunfire,' French said in an interview with ABC News Live Prime on Thursday night.
'I ran, ran, ran. Before I could get to my car, which was not very far at all, I heard even more gunfire. Rapid succession, just pow, pow, pow, pow, pow.'
'I just wanted to get to a safe place,' said French.
As of Friday afternoon, Thang's car still remains in the Kroger parking lot, police said, as resources are called in to safely inspect and remove the vehicle.
Meanwhile, ABC News reports that police plan to carry out several more search warrants at a few different locations, however Lane did not divulge any further information.
Kroger spokeswoman Kristal Howard said the company was 'horrified and heartbroken over the senseless violence that occurred yesterday... resulting in the death of one customer as well as the assailant and injuries to several other individuals, including 10 of our associates and five customers' in a statement issued on Friday.
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