Hostage Situation in Amarillo Walmart: Police Say Suspect was Shot Dead

A hostage situation in a Walmart in Amarillo, Texas, has police searching for a “Somalian man wearing Khaki pants.”

UPDATE 4:18 pm Central: Amarillo Police released the name of the Amarillo Walmart gunman. His name was Mohammad Moghaddam, he was 54 years old. Police said his two hostages “were released and are not injured.” One of the hostages was a Walmart manager with whom Maghaddam “had a work dispute.” 

UPDATE – 12:45 p.m. CDT: Amarillo Police Department tweeted that the suspect in the shooting incident at the Amarillo Walmart had been shot and appeared to be dead. No one besides the shooter was injured in the incident. Amarillo Police called this a “case of workplace violence.”

At 11:35 a.m. CST, Amarillo’s KGNC reported, “The Amarillo Police Department and several other agencies are on the scene at the Walmart on Georgia. There are reports of an armed subject inside the [sic] who may have hostages. Please avoid the area so that officers can focus on the scene and not traffic.”

The Walmart is located on I-27 and Georgia, and police have shut down both roadways in the immediate area.

KGNC live reports indicate one suspect is confirmed armed in the building with one hostage. No shooting victims were found when police swept the building.

At 12:45 pm, KGNC reported the gunman was shot by Amarillo SWAT.

UPDATE 6:09 PM Central: Amarillo Police Department reports that officers were dispatched to the Walmart at I-27 and Georgia street at 11:06 a.m. They described what the officers saw upon reaching the scene:

Officers determined that the suspect entered the store and fired at least one shot toward the ceiling. The initial report to officers was that he took a hostage and went into an office at the back of the store. Responding officers from multiple agencies arrived at the store and entered. No further shots were fired after the initial shot. The SWAT team continued a search of the store for the barricaded gunman. At about 12:20 PM, SWAT officers saw what they believed was the only hostage come out of the office. SWAT officers entered the room and saw that there was a second hostage at that time. The suspect was still armed with a handgun and was a threat to the hostage and the officers. Two SWAT officers fired shots which hit the suspect. Initial information is that the suspect died immediately.