One person was killed and two people were injured in a shooting a Long Island grocery store, Nassau County police said Tuesday.
The person killed was a 49-year-old employee, police said at an afternoon press conference near the scene. The shooting happened inside a manager's office, upstairs from the shopping floor.
There were around “a couple hundred" people inside the store, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told reporters.
Ryder named a person of interest who had been employed at the store. It was unclear whether the person was still employed. No one was in custody in connection with the shooting. The person of interest had a small handgun.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Police are investigating gunfire at a Long Island supermarket, officials said.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said in a tweet Tuesday that there had been shooting at a Stop & Shop supermarket in West Hempstead and that the suspect has not been apprehended.
Nassau County police say they received a call around 11:15 a.m. for possible shots fired at the store. A police spokesperson said there was no immediate information on casualties.
Video of the aftermath of the shooting showed police cars and ambulances parked in front of the store, officers carrying long guns and yellow crime scene tape draped across the entrance.
Curran said nearby schools have been told not to admit visitors and residents were asked to remain indoors.
West Hempstead is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of New York City
