Shooting at Kroger in Collierville, Tennessee Results in 15 Gunshot Victims

The FBI is investigating a mass shooting from earlier today at Kroger grocery store in Collierville, Tennessee that resulted in 14 gunshot victims in stable condition and one death. 

Police Chief Dale Lane identified the shooter as 29-year-old Uk Thang, who worked as a third-party vendor for the Kroger. The motive of the shooter and number of shots fired are still under investigation. Lane would not name the shooter on video.  

“We have broken hearts, nobody wants to go into that scene,” said Lane. “We hope it doesn’t happen again, but hope is not a plan.” 

Lane identified the lone victim who died was Olivia King, mother of three, who was confirmed to be one of the 15 victims. The family stated, “Our family is devasted by this senseless act of violence.” 

When the first responders arrived at the scene, there were two active situations. The bomb squad searched the shooter’s vehicle and the backpack, but no explosives were found. Lane confirmed the authorities found the address of the shooter and evidence from the location is being processed. This will continue at the scene until the late evening. 

Employees and customers knew how to respond to the situation, said Lane. First responders found people hiding in palettes of groceries, freezers and closets. There was no delay in the medical alert response because the call was received during a command staff meeting.  

Chief Medical Officer Martin Croce confirmed that they have eight stable patients, three patients in critical condition and three patients that needed emergency surgery. The medical response went smoothly and the hospital had a good number of staff already, but called in additional staff.  

“No one is truly prepared,” said Peter Fischer from Regional One. “You rehearse in your mind and practice those drills.” 

The trauma response team was able to react fast to the situation. Patients in the hospital were moved around to create more space for these gunshot victims. The team’s number one priority in this situation is to get the victims to the hospital.  

“Not atypical for patients to come with gunshot wounds,” said Croce. “Just not all at once.” 

These practices are what have improved the response team’s reaction to these types of situations. Thanks to the training session from June fourth, it was the first time the firefighters had bullet proof vests when responding to this kind of scenario.  

“Always opportunities for improvements and stuff that you think of and it’s never good to stress the system,” Fischer said. “…you need to stress it to know where your weaknesses are.”