BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — Police are searching for a person they said fired a pistol inside the Walmart at 600 Northeast Coronado Drive around 9:30 p.m. Monday.
Kinser Diebold and his friend were sitting in the store’s parking lot when they saw the suspect pull up to their car.
“He had his front passenger window open, you could see him loading the clips and he dropped all his ammo in the front seat,” Diebold said.
Diebold and his friend said they saw the man tuck a loaded gun into a newspaper before going into the store.
“Walked in and dropped the newspaper in the trash can and started firing shots,” Diebold said.
Diebold also said that the man appeared to target a group of people in the store’s grocery section near the bakery.
“He was arguing with that one guy—he got into a disagreement, got so mad about this guy,” Diebold said.
The suspect fired several rounds inside the store before the gunfire spilled out into the parking lot, Diebold said.
“I was shaking so bad I couldn’t even think,” Diebold said. ”I moved my car about three cars away from it. I didn't want to get shot or anything.”
No one was hurt in the shooting.
However, one man said his truck was hit by the bullets.
“I don’t care about the truck per se. I care about my boy," Charles Johnson said. "You know, my boys mean more to me than anything in this life. So I’ll go through whatever it takes to protect my boys and you know, I can replace a vehicle. I can’t replace them.”
Johnson also said he has a dash camera that he leaves on at all times. He has given all the footage to police.
“You know there’s always concerns when you have an incident like that happen at a Walmart or at any business. It could have been a very tragic situation,” Lt. John M. Kingsolver with the Blue Springs Police Department said.
Investigators said the shooter drove off in a white Dodge Magnum.
Since Monday night, police said they’ve received a number of calls and tips.
“My detectives and crime analyst followed up on those tips and developed a person of interest. It was great, the public really came through on this one,” Kingsolver said.
Diebold is one of those people who went to police Tuesday afternoon to report what he saw.
“People started shooting like that—that’s why I’m trying to keep our world safe,” Diebold said.
In a statement, a Walmart spokesperson said:
Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call the Blue Springs Police Department dispatch center at (816) 228-0151 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.
