The Man Who Fatally Shot Two Black People At A Kentucky Kroger Tried To Enter Predominantly Black Church Minutes Before, Police Say

Police are saying a white man suspected of fatally shooting two black people at a #Kroger grocery store in Kentucky apparently tried to enter a predominantly black church nearby just minutes before the shooting, and now the #FBI is involved due to what is believed to be a hate crime.

#Roommates, let’s send prayers to the families of the victims, #MauriceStallard and #VickieJones, who were shot Wednesday in the #Jeffersontown grocery store. Police arrested the suspect, 51-year-old #GregoryBush, shortly after the shooting, according to @CNN.

According to reports from the scene, Bush allegedly told a white bystander with a gun who tried to interfere not to shoot him because he “won’t shoot white people.” Now police are saying surveillance video showed that 10 to 15 minutes before the grocery store shooting, Bush tried to enter the #FirstBaptistChurch in Jeffersontown, according to police Chief Sam Rogers.

A church member sitting in the parking lot saw the suspect banging on and pulling the door, trying to get inside.

“To think that an hour and a half earlier, we had 70 people in the church,” church administrator Billy Williams told CNN affiliate, WDRB. “But by the time he came through, all doors were locked, and there were probably eight or 10 still in the building.”

When Bush was unable to enter the church, he went to Kroger and opened fire in the store, killing Stallard, 69, in front of his grandson, police said. The suspect then fled the store and shot a second victim, Jones, 67, in the parking lot, according to authorities.

He exchanged multiple rounds of gunfire in the Kroger parking lot with an armed civilian who had a carry concealed permit. Nobody else was injured, and the suspect fled the scene before being arrested nearby.

We’ll keep you updated on this story, #Roommates.

TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh