UPDATE: Suspect in fatal shooting in custody
By Dan Thesman on Monday, February 7th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
UPDATE: The Richland Police Department reports Aaron Christopher Kelly, 39, has been taken into custody without incident. Kelly, identified earlier as the suspect in Monday’s shooting at the Richland Fred Meyer, was arrested on Interstate 90 between Sprague and Spokane. He will be transported back to the Tri-Cities and booked into the Benton County Jail on first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.
The shooting resulted in the death of Justin Krumbah, 38.
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RICHLAND – The search is on for a man who opened fire Monday morning at the Fred Meyer located at 101 Wellsian Way, killing one person, and injuring another.
Commander Chris Lee with the Richland Police Department said officers were dispatched at 11:03 a.m. to reports of shots fired coming from inside the store.
“We don’t know what the cause was, we don’t know if it’s specifically intentional or targeted towards any one person,” he said.
Lee said the suspect and deceased male had some sort of a conversation before the shooting occurred, but the details of that conversation are still under investigation. It is also unknown at this time if the suspect and deceased knew each other. The injured victim, only described as a male and Fred Meyer employee, is in critical condition at Kadlec Regional Medical Center.
The suspect, believed to be armed with a handgun, is described to be a middle-aged white man, wearing a plaid shirt with a dark-colored down vest, a black gaiter or scarf pulled over his nose, light-colored pants, and athletic shoes.
Lee said it is believed the suspect fled the scene shortly after the shooting, though it was unknown if he left on foot or in a vehicle.
Law enforcement agencies from throughout the Tri-Cities, including the Washington State Patrol and ATF responded as area schools were placed on lockdown.
Suspect photo via Richland Police Department
