THORNTON – The man suspected of shooting and killing three people inside a Thornton Walmart on Wednesday evening has been taken into custody, Thornton police announced Thursday morning.
The lone gunman, who Thornton police say was 47-year-old Scott Ostrem, reportedly walked into the Walmart “nonchalantly” and opened fire randomly on a group of people near the cash registers, according to a spokesperson for the Thornton Police Department. The three who were killed were the only ones shot.
Ostrem was taken into custody at about 8 a.m. Thursday near 72nd Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Westminster. Roads are blocked off in the area due to heavy police presence.
Ostrem has recent addresses in Denver and the north Denver area. He filed for bankruptcy in 2015, was charged with resisting arrest in 1999, was sued by a family member in 2011, and was charged with driving under the influence in 2013.
There’s no known motive for the shooting at this time.
The shooting at the Grant Street Walmart was reported to dispatch at 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, according to Thornton Police.
Thornton police said two men were killed and a woman was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died in wake of the shooting.
The names of the victims have not been released, though Tiffany Wilson, director of communications at Walmart, did confirm that all Walmart staff has been accounted for.
Investigators say they have no idea why Ostrem allegedly opened fire, but they did say the shooting is not known to be an act of terrorism. However, a Thornton PD spokesperson did refer to the shooting as a heinous act.
Anyone who knows anything about the shooting should contact police at 720-977-5069.
UPDATE: Walmart homicide suspect Scott Ostrem has been taken into custody pic.twitter.com/q9EPq5f4ZH
— Thornton Police Dept (@ThorntonPolice) November 2, 2017
Forty-eight witnesses were taken from the Walmart to a nearby police building before they were released, according to RTD.
A limited lockdown at North Suburban Medical Center was lifted a few hours after the shooting was reported, according to a director at HealthONE.
The 5-hour delay to say the suspect in the shooting was armed and dangerous — and still on the run — was reportedly due to investigators working to gather information on who that person was, according to Thornton Police.
Police set up a large perimeter outside the Walmart store Wednesday night, and FBI, ATF agents and Aurora SWAT all responded to the scene to assist local officers.
One local resident, Aaron Stephens, spoke to 9NEWS multiple times. He said he was at the self-checkout line when he heard a loud pop.
“At first I thought it was a firecracker,” he said, “but it sounded more – it was louder… I was like, what the heck’s going on? Then I heard two more shots and I freaked out and hit the ground.”
Stephens said he was worried about stray bullets flying around the store. But then he heard a couple more shots and panicked.
“Employees were screaming,” he said. “Customers were running like crazy. And I went out with everybody else.”
He said he panicked, too.
“I didn’t want to die,” he said. “Here’s Las Vegas happening in Colorado – at that moment all I could think about was my life.”
A local mother ran up to 9NEWS’ Steve Staeger crying and holding her cell phone. Her son was in the store when the shooting happened and told her he heard multiple gunshots ring out inside.
One father, whose daughter was in the store at the time of the shooting, says he just wants to find her.
“I was going to stop by her house,” said Loyd Diggs to 9NEWS. “She said she was going to shop at Walmart – haven’t heard from her.”
He said it scared him – especially with all the violence in the world right now.
“We never go to this [Walmart],” he added.
Family members are being told to go to the Thornton Police Department to reunite with everyone who was in the store at the time of the shooting.
http://www.9news.com/news/crime/suspect-in-walmart-triple-shooting-arrested-/488159023
you know, they think that if they put on enough pressure,
people will literally deliver their weapons to the po-lice department…………
no good guys with guns
WRONG!
American nationals.
Is that a lib Walmart?
Heck the Wally World here half the guys are in camo
And more than likely packing as this state is now at like 7% concealed carry
But like every other law abiding person
, they probably would have hesitated to mow the perp down , because we would fear the State and what it would do to the real heroes in a situation like this
Because 90% chance the concealed carrier would have had to shoot this POS in the back as the perp cowardly ran away from the scene
“… reportedly walked into the Walmart “nonchalantly” and opened fire randomly on a group of people near the cash registers,…”
SCUMBAG POS!!!
YOU COULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING AT A PIG STATION, AND WOULD BE CONSIDERED A HERO AMONG THE AWAKE!!!!!