A store employee on break was among the two people shot and killed outside the Dimond Walmart in Anchorage on Sunday night, a company spokesperson said.
The shooting happened inside a busy store. adjacent to Dimond Center Mall on a Sunday evening a few days before Thanksgiving. Police said a man and a woman died from injuries in a parking lot right next to the entrance. As of Monday afternoon, Anchorage police had said little about the circumstances of the double homicide, which occurred in a crowded public place.
Police said Sunday that they believed the killing was an “isolated incident” and that an investigation was ongoing. On Monday, a spokesperson said in an email that police believe “all parties involved have been contacted.”
[Earlier coverage: 2 people shot to death outside Walmart in South Anchorage]
As of Monday afternoon, no one had been arrested or charged. Police had not identified the victim.
Police declined to answer additional questions Monday.
“We do not expect any further details to be released until at least tomorrow,” Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Lenny Oistad said in an email. “This is an open and ongoing investigation.”
“There are no concerns for public safety,” Oystad wrote.
Walmart reopened by Monday morning, but only crime scene tape remained outside showing the violence that had occurred hours earlier. Inside the store, customers shopped for groceries as Christmas music played in the background. Two police chaplain volunteers (one of whom was walking a dog) came in and headed to the back of the store.
Walmart spokeswoman Kelsey Ball said in an email that one of the two victims was a Walmart employee who was on break at the time of the shooting. Walmart offers bereavement counseling to its employees in person and over the phone, Ball said.
The company says it is assisting police. The store has dozens of outdoor surveillance cameras installed at entrances and exits.
“We have and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement throughout the investigation,” Ball said.
Walmart shoppers said in social media posts and interviews that they were suddenly locked down inside the crowded store, with little understanding of what was happening outside.
Jasmina Carmack, her husband, and their two children, ages 12 and 1, were shopping at Walmart Sunday night when they checked out and approached the store’s exit.
“The security guards started locking the doors and not letting any of us come out,” she said in an interview Monday. “I have no idea what happened.”
Carmack said she eventually saw a police traffic light in the parking lot. I heard an employee say someone fired shots outside. She believes her family was trapped inside the Walmart for about 30 minutes.
Carmack said she was worried about her children, especially not knowing what had happened or what threat was posed.
“It’s scary,” she said. “It doesn’t make me feel safe at all. No matter where you are, something bad could happen.”
Daily News reporter Zazu Hollander contributed to this article.
• • •
This is a developing story. Please check the latest information.