Suspect shot dead in Texas Walmart hostage situation

A suspect has been shot and is apparently dead after officers responded on Tuesday to a reported shooting inside a Wal-Mart store in Amarillo, Texas, police said.

The Amarillo Police Department released a brief statement saying hostages inside the store were safe and described the incident as a workplace violence event. No details were immediately provided, but police urged residents to avoid the area.

Police said officers responded to the scene amid reports that an armed person was at the store and may have had hostages. Police later said officers had made their way inside the store and there was "no shooting ongoing at this moment."

The city released a statement saying emergency officials were on the scene of an active shooter incident and there was no immediate word of injuries.

Authorities didn't immediately say what may have prompted the incident in Amarillo, a city in the Texas Panhandle. Some nearby streets were closed as a precaution, including an off ramp to Interstate 27.

IMAGE: Reports indicate that the Wal-Mart shooter may have been of Somali origin. Photograph: Edgard Garrido/Reuters