A woman, man and child were found fatally shot inside a Royal Palm Beach Publix grocery store on Thursday morning (June 10), the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said.
According to multiple reports, one of the victims was the shooter, but police have not identified which person was responsible. “This was NOT an active shooter situation,” Teri Barbera, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said in a statement.
Deputies responded to the scene at 11:40 a.m. The shooting reportedly took place near the store’s produce section. Detectives are now speaking to witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage as they try to determine what led to the deadly shooting.
Juan Guardia was in the store’s deli area when the chaos began. “I heard, ‘They’re shooting!’ A woman Publix worker said, ‘Run! Shooting!’” he recalled. “I was scared. It’s sad because everything happened fast. Everyone was running. Some employees were crying.”
Tracy Greene, who regularly shops at the Publix, was shocked to hear about the incident. “This is a friendly Publix. I can’t believe this crazy thing happened,” she said.
“This is not a Publix problem. This is a people problem,” said Oahtee Moody, a resident who lives across from the supermarket. “I was born and raised here, and I never would expect this to happen.”
Officials have not revealed the relationship between the three people, however, Barbera says that they may have known each other. Some of the Publix employees were allowed to leave the store, while others are being asked to stay behind to be interviewed by deputies. Law enforcement is also checking the license plate tags of cars in the parking lot.
On Thursday, Publix addressed the shooting in a statement, saying, “Our thoughts are with those who are impacted by this tragedy. We are cooperating with the local law enforcement. Since this is an active police investigation, we cannot confirm any additional details.”