Police: Suspect shot worker at Amazon hub, then is shot dead
CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) — A person with a gun shot and wounded a contract worker outside an Amazon delivery station in Arizona before another contract worker who was armed fatally shot the suspect in the parking lot Wednesday, possibly stopping an active shooter situation, police said.
The suspect, who wasn’t an Amazon employee or contrator, entered the grounds of the delivery hub in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler and shot the unarmed contract worker multiple times at about 9:30 a.m., Chandler police said.
Authorities added that the second contracted Amazon employee then shot the suspect, who died at the scene in the facility’s parking lot.
There was no immedate report on the motive for the shooting.
“We don’t know what led up to this. That’s under investigation,” said Sgt. Jason McClimans, a police spokesman. “We also do not know the mindset of the shooter, but we are not looking for any other suspects.”
McClimans said the wounded worker was hospitalized in critical condition, but is expected to survive. He said the the other contracted Amazon employee who fatally shot the suspect wasn’t injured, adding he possibly stopped an active shooter situation.
The names of the suspect and two contracted employees weren’t immediately released.
An Amazon spokesman, Richard Rocha, told The Associated Press that the company is working with law enforcement as it investigates the shooting.
“We are deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence in our parking lot. We’re working closely with law enforcement as they investigate and are focused on supporting our team during this difficult time,” Rocha said by phone.
He said the two contractors involved work to support Amazon’s delivery network while the suspect who was fatally shot was not employed by Amazon nor any of its contractors.
Operations at the complex were suspended after the shooting and all of its employees and partners were sent home with pay, Rocha added. The Amazon spokesman did not immediately release any further details about the circumstances of the shooting.
The Chandler complex operates as a pickup zone for contracted Amazon Flex drivers and others, who pick up packages to typically deliver for the same or next day to customers.
News video footage showed police vehicles in the parking lot of the complex later Wednesday with the scene cordoned off by crime scene tape. Chandler is a sprawling suburban community located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of downtown Phoenix.
