SPRINGFIELD, MO. (THECOUNT) — Police say a man was arrested Thursday after he showed up at a Springfield Walmart store with a loaded rifle while wearing a bulletproof vest. The man had more than 100 rounds of ammo at the ready, according to police.
“His intent obviously was to cause chaos here, and he did that,” Springfield Police Department Lt. Mike Lucas said of the 20-year-old suspect Thursday evening.
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Springfield Police Department say the incident occurred at after 4 p.m. Thursday at the Walmart Neighborhood Market, located at, 3150 West Republic Road, in Springfield, MO.
Lucas said the man showed up to the business with body armor and military-style clothing and then walked inside carrying a “tactical rifle” and another gun.
As shoppers were panicking and fleeing the store, Lucas said the man was taking video on his phone and making comments to people while pushing a shopping cart.
Lucas said the suspect then walked out of the store, where an off-duty firefighter held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived moments later.
The suspect, a 20-year-old white man, was arrested, but Lucas said police are still working to determine his motives and whether or not he intended to shoot anyone.
Lucas said the man had more than 100 rounds of ammo.
Lucas said Springfield police officers arrived on scene in 3 minutes after the initial 911 call on Thursday. He said the scene was initially chaotic.
Lucas described the suspect as “pretty stoic” during the initial police contact. He said officers would be interviewing the suspect at the jail on Thursday to try to learn more about his motivations.
“His intent was not to cause peace or comfort to anybody that was in the business here,” Lucas said. “In fact, he’s lucky he’s alive still, to be honest,” reports News-Leader.
A fire marshal was called out to the scene on Thursday to inspect the suspect’s car, a gray Mazda sedan that was left in the parking lot. Lucas said that was to ensure there were no bombs on the vehicle.
The suspect was not immediately identified.
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Geo quick facts: Springfield is a city in southwestern Missouri. The Discovery Center of Springfield has interactive science exhibits on topics from DNA to dinosaurs. To the north, Dickerson Park Zoo features animals from around the world, plus train rides. Trams run through a cave filled with stalagmites and flowstones at Fantastic Caverns. The Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park has trails and botanical gardens – wikipedia.