LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A deadly shooting at a Smith's grocery store on South Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas left two people dead and a neighborhood shaken Tuesday morning. A Metro source has identified the suspect, and witnesses are describing the chaos that unfolded inside the store.
WATCH | Shooting at Smith's grocery store shocks Las Vegas neighborhood
What witnesses inside the store experienced
Hanna Manker said she was inside the store, as she often is a few times a week, when gunshots rang out. She had her two young children with her.
"My kids and I went to get some groceries, their dad ended up showing up to help us. Thank God, at the end of it, checking out we heard about five or six shots. Everybody started running I didn't know what to do so I ducked down with my kids," Manker said.
Manker said the experience has left her family shaken.
"I think we're all traumatized. I don't know if we'll ever be able to go into a store shopping again, honestly,"Manker said.
A vendor at the store who did not want to be identified said it was chilling to see who she believes to be the suspect's demeanor.
Crime
Police: 2 dead after shooting at south valley grocery store; suspect in custody
Many people approached the scene asking what happened, shocked that a deadly shooting occurred in their neighborhood — during the day — and at a grocery store.
What police say happened
The shooting happened just before 11:30 in the morning. Several 911 calls came in reporting a man shooting inside the store.
When officers arrived, three shoppers had already pinned the suspect to the ground. Police took him into custody, then went inside and found a man and a woman who had been shot. Both died at the scene.
Homicide Lieutenant Robert Price said this was a domestic violence situation. A Metro source has identified the suspect as 43-year-old Alejandro Estrada Alfonso.
WATCH | LVMPD's full briefing on the incident
"The preliminary details we know so far are it appears the male and female that were inside the business, the victims are husband and wife or in some type of a relationship. The male suspect was in a previous relationship with the female victim and appeared they had some children in common," Price said.
Lieutenant Price also mentioned the parties had been dealing with custody issues.
Good Samaritans tackled the gunman
Lieutenant Price thanked the good Samaritans who stopped the suspect. 2 of them spoke with us.
Merconie Clark was near the checkout when the shooting began.
"I'm on my way on the checkout. I hear 2 to 3 shots, bam, bam. Immediately, I go down to my knees and I look around and I see a lot of people running. Then I hear another range of shots, probably around 5 to 6... I don't know what happened. I just walked over there towards him. He pulled out his gun. We're wrestling for the gun. I didn't even know until after I pulled the bag of weapons away from him, he had other weapons in the... in his backpack," Clark said.
Darius Alston was also among those who intervened.
"As soon as we did that, the cops pull up, boom, they all flying around. They pull up. We stopped what we was doing and they took in their hands," Alston said. "They got here real quick."
Exclusive video obtained shows the good Samaritans in the moments after the shooting. In the clip, the suspect is seen being kicked to the floor by bystanders, then kicked repeatedly, before being held down by several people until police arrived. A separate video shows officers with the suspect in handcuffs, and an image captures the moment the suspect was restrained as police led him away.
What's happening now
The Homicide Section is now on scene and leading the investigation. Investigators are combing through surveillance video and processing the scene.
Police are asking everyone to avoid the area because of the large law enforcement presence outside the Smith's on South Maryland Parkway.
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