RENO - A gunman is holed up today at a Walmart store on Kietzke Lane after shooting three co-workers who were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
Heavily armed police officers entered the building about four hours after the lone gunman entered about 8:30 a.m. and opened fire on fellow employees, Reno Deputy Police Chief Mike Whan said.
Reno television stations KRNV, KTVN and KOLO are identifying the suspect as John Dennis Gillane, a former employee of the store.
"To our knowledge, he's the only one in the store," Whan told The Associated Press.
One of the victims was shot critically, but "the prognosis is good for all of them," said Dan Fogleman, a spokesman for Wal-mart Stores Inc. He provided no further details.
At least nine officers with rifles entered the store shortly after 12:30 p.m. Police believed the gunman was in a back room. Efforts to contact him had been unsuccessful, Whan said.
Reno police Lt. Mohammad Rafqat said the man appeared to have a handgun, and one of his victims was a manager at the store.
Employees were placed on a bus in the parking lot of a sporting goods store next to the Walmart.
Jimmy Moses said he was dropping his wife off for her first day of work at the store about 9 a.m. when police cars drove up and people fled the Walmart.
Washoe County deputies, Sparks police and the FBI joined Reno police in sweeping the store to be sure there were no hostages.
"They were very efficient. They got everybody out fast and they kept everybody calm," Moses told a Reno newspaper.
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Associated Press correspondent Scott Sonner contributed to this report.