BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) – Police have released the identity of the man arrested after a shooting that left one dead and another injured in a Fairfield Township Walmart Thursday evening.
Just before 8 p.m., officers were called to the Walmart on Princeton Road on reports of shots fired inside the store. According to a release by the Fairfield Township Police Department, a man had shot two people before leaving the store.
A 32-year-old man, identified as Anthony Brown, was trying to steal items from the electronics section when a shopper tried to intervene, the release said. As Brown ran to the front of the store, an employee and another shopper also tried to stop him.
The suspect pulled out a handgun and fired, police said, killing the shopper and hitting the employee. The employee was brought to the hospital in critical condition.
Brown left the scene, and police warned the community to be on the lookout.
According to the release, police found Brown’s vehicle Thursday evening with a passenger inside. Officers interviewed the passenger, and further investigation led them to believe the shooter may be inside the Fairfield Inn on Roosevelt Parkway.
Police were searching the building when the suspect attempted to escape, the release said. The man jumped through a first-floor window and attempted to run from the area, dropping a handgun. Police said he was caught and booked into the Butler County Jail.
The man is now facing multiple charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated murder and having weapons under disability. Police say additional charges may be pending.
The case remains under investigation, the release said. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 513-887-4179.