2 killed in shooting at Walmart parking lot in South Anchorage, police say

Update, 8 a.m. Monday: Anchorage police say they have contacted everyone involved in the shooting. No one has been charged, according to Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Renee Oistad.

Original story:

Two people were killed Sunday evening in a shooting at the parking lot of the Walmart in South Anchorage, and police are searching for a suspect, an officer said at the scene.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Dimond Walmart parking lot around 5:11 p.m. Sunday, the Anchorage Police Department said in an online update. The store is located on the Old Seward Highway at 88th Avenue just south of the Dimond Center mall.

Two people who were found with gunshot wounds outside the store died at the scene, and a firearm was located on site, said Sean Keating, an APD officer and crime scene team leader. The police department said Sunday night that the victims included one woman and one man.

Police are searching for one suspect at this time, Keating said. No one has been arrested in the shooting so far, police said in an update around 9 p.m. Sunday.

“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation, but Officers have cause to believe this is an isolated incident,” police said.

Keating said it was fortunate that no one else had been struck by gunfire, given the location of the shooting.

The store is “so populated ... and that just happened right outside the main entrance. It’s just insane,” Keating said. He said the police department is working with the store to obtain surveillance footage.

Walmart conducted evacuations and closed for the day, and officers helped people avoid the crime scene and reach their vehicles, Keating said. Multiple people posted on social media that the store had been on lockdown immediately after the shooting.

The incident prompted a major response from several units with the police department. Police asked people to avoid the location, or follow officers’ instructions if they needed to be in the area. Keating said he expected police to be working at the scene for several hours, potentially into early Monday morning.

The Anchorage Police Department asked anyone with information about the shooting, including surveillance footage, to call police dispatch at 311 (option 1) or 907-786-8900 (option 0).