Two men and a woman are dead after a shooting early Wednesday evening inside the Walmart Supercenter at 9901 Grant St. in Thornton, police said. Police said the gunman is at large.
Hundreds of emergency responders ringed the Thornton Town Center shopping complex for hours after the shooting was reported about 6:30 p.m.
Thornton police spokesman Victor Avila said a gunman wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and a maroon shirt walked into the south entrance of the store and began shooting a handgun randomly. The three victims were all in the same area near the front of the store, Avila said.
The gunman said nothing during the shooting, Avila said, then left.
An hour later, the Thornton Police Department tweeted, “At this time this is not an active shooter.”
Police said the gunman fled in a red Mitsubishi Mirage four-door hatchback, and Avila said they do not have any leads on his identity.
The Thornton Town Center is a big-box shopping complex that backs to Interstate 25 south of East 104th Avenue. It includes several other retailers, including Home Depot, Cinebarre theater and McDonald’s.
People who had been in the store flooded the parking lot of the nearby Golden Corral restaurant, which overlooks the shopping center from the south. Others looked toward the Walmart while waiting for news of their loved ones.
Aaron Stephens, 44, was in the self-checkout line at Walmart when he heard a single shot fired, followed by more bursts of gunfire. He said customers…