Three people are dead in a shooting at the Safeway on Bend’s east side Sunday night. The shooter is one of the three killed.
Bend Police say it happened around 7:04 p.m. at the Forum Shopping Center at Highway 20 and NE 27th Street.
Chief Mike Krantz said late Sunday that it’s believed the shooter entered from a residential area behind the shopping center.
“The shooter moved through the parking lot from the Costco on the west end, shooting rounds from an AR-15-style rifle, the shooter entered the west entrance of Safeway,” said Krantz.
Krantz said the gunman shot one person at the entrance. That person was later transported to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Police say the gunman moved through the store, continuing to fire shots and killed a second person inside.
Krantz said officers arrived, still hearing gunshots. They found the suspected gunman dead inside the store with the AR-15-style rifle as well as a shotgun nearby. Krantz said no officers fired shots.
A Safeway employee named Robert said he and other employees quickly went for cover.
“Me and three other employees ran into a walk-in refrigerator and closed the door and stayed there and stayed hidden until authorities arrived.” Robert said.
There was also a report of one person who was injured, but it wasn’t clear as of late Sunday night if that was related to this incident.
Krantz said officers also investigated reports of a second shooter, but no second shooter was found. He said officers also responded to reports of additional shootings in the vicinity. He said no evidence of any such incidents was found.
Heather Thompson, was across the street from the shopping center when she heard dozens of shots.
“I heard anywhere from five to eight shots. I thought it sounded like backfire,” Thompson said. “Less than a minute later, there were 10 to 20 shots and then another 10 to 20 shots. And by that time, I went inside and told my dad to get away from the window. And people were running out of Safeway.”
The investigation was continuing Sunday night. Krantz said search warrants were being obtained for the residential area behind the shopping center.
There is an active investigation in the area of The Forum shopping center. Please avoid the area. More updates to come as the investigation continues.
— City of Bend Police Department #BendPolice (@BendCityPolice) August 29, 2022
