Suspect Arrested in Livestreamed Shooting at Kroger Store

In a chilling case underscoring the security challenges faced by today’s retailers, a suspect has been charged in a May 23 shooting at Kroger store located at 6310 East State Boulevard, in Fort Wayne, Ind.  According to local news reports, Richard Klaff Jr. posted video of himself live on a social media platform in which he displayed a gun and shared his intention to shoot people at that location.

In some of the footage, the suspect was seen talking to himself before aiming his handgun at a customer and employees in the bakery department.  No one was injured in the shooting. 

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After he fled the scene, Klaff was arrested outside, near the store, by law enforcement personnel. He was charged with three counts of attempted murder and is being held in custody. “This incident remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Police Department and the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office,” said Sgt. John Nichter, a public information officer, in a released statement. 

Kroger released its own statement in the aftermath of the shooting. “We are deeply saddened by the incident at our East State Boulevard store in Fort Wayne. We are cooperating with the investigation by local law enforcement, and we have initiated counseling services for our associates,” noted spokesman Eric Halvorson.  

Cincinnati-based Kroger has nearly half a million associates who serve more than 11 million customers daily through a digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names. The company is No. 4 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named Kroger one of the Retailers of the Century.