A gunman who was 20-year-old, had killed two people at a Bend Safeway on Sunday evening. After killing a shopper, he was still shooting up the supermarket when an employee engaged him possibly putting a stop to what might have been a far worse attack, police said.
Bend Police confirmed in a news conference, that the shooter name was Ethan Blair Miller 20-year-old.
Police said, at 7:04 p.m. just four minutes passed from the of shooting police received the first call about the shooting and when police found, Ethan Miller has been dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound with in the store. When police arrived, shots were being fired, but did not fire their weapons, Sheila Miller said, who is not related to the shooter Ethan Miller.
The Officers said that, the killer acted alone and they have found a semi-automatic rifle and a shotgun near the killer.
There are two victims in the attack one Glenn Edward Bennett,84 who was shot near the front of the Safeway, and other Donald Ray Surrett Jr 66, the employee who attacked Miller.
Bend Police Department spokesperson Sheila Miller said,”Mr Surrett engaged with the shooter ,attempted to disarm him and very well may have prevented further deaths.” He acted heroically during this terrible attack.
The man entered the shopping centre parking lot from a neighbourhood behind it, said Police Chief Mike Krantz that they believe.
There was a witness who believed that a second gunman was also there. But Mike Krantz told that, their investigation has turned up “no evidence of a second shooter anywhere in the area.”
100 officers from different agencies were involved in the investigation of the very large crime scene, so it will take time to process the scene, said Krantz.
Krantz said “Our hearts go out to the victims and their families”, ”We know this is frightening for our community and something we would never want to happen in our city” .
Person who identified the shooter as Miller lived near the unit was a former student of Mountainview High School in Bend. Two other people who identify the shooter has also attend the high school with Miller.
On a Miller’s name online account has posted many writings in the months leading up to the shooting, expressing suicidal ideation and a desire to hurt others. He states that he wanted to carry out a school shooting at Mountainview High School on Sept. 8 the first day of the school year.
The officials with Mountainview said that they were not aware of any threats against the school.
Monday in a press conference, Bend Mayor Pro-Tem Anthony Broadman called on his city to unite in the aftermath of the attack.
“We have stand together. We will” and “We know that in the face of the kind of chaos we saw last night we have brave first responders, brave citizens, people willing to stand up for their neighbours. Nothing illustrates Bend and Central Oregon more than that.”
In the end I would say my heart is also go out for the victims and their families.
