Accused gunman in Tennessee grocery store shooting was "asked to leave his job" earlier that day, police say

Police identify alleged gunman in Tennessee supermarket shooting

The man accused of opening fire at a Tennessee supermarket last Thursday, killing one person and wounding 14 others, had been asked to leave his job the morning of the shooting, police said in a statement Monday. The alleged shooter, 29-year-old UK Thang, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

Collierville police said the shooter moved to the town in the summer of 2020 and worked as a third-party vendor inside the Kroger supermarket before he was "asked to leave his job" on Thursday morning. Police did not provide any additional details about why he was asked to leave. 

Police responded to reports of an active shooter at the Kroger in Collierville on the afternoon of September 23. Police Chief Dale Lane said officers searched every aisle of the store and helped wounded victims leave.

Crime scene tape outside of a Kroger grocery store where a shooting occurred on September 23, 2021, in Collierville, Tennessee. Brad Vest / Getty

"This scene is horrific, I've been involved in this for 34 years and never seen anything like it," Lane said Thursday. 

The deceased victim was identified as Olivia King, who was a customer at the store. Ten employees and four other customers were wounded. Police said only four victims remain at Regional One Hospital, all of whom are in stable condition.

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