ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — Newly released 911 calls captured the chaotic moments right after, authorities said, a man shot and killed a toddler and his grandmother inside a Publix in Royal Palm Beach, as the supermarket reopened its doors for the first time since the tragedy.
7News cameras showed balloons, stuffed animals and candles on a sidewalk outside the Publix along the 1100 block of Royal Palm Beach Boulevard, Saturday afternoon.
The store reopened two days after, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detectives said, 55-year-old Timothy Wall walked in and fatally shot killed a 69-year-old woman and her 23-month-old grandson before he turned the gun on himself.
The 911 calls paint a harrowing picture.
“At the Publix in Royal Palm Beach, here’s a shooting!” said a caller.
“I didn’t recognize his face. He’s wearing all black, sunglasses and a black hat. He shot a child,” said another caller.
When the 911 dispatcher asked whether the child was on the floor, the called replied, “We had to run. He started shooting multiple people.”
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said he believes the shooting could have been avoided.
“There was a chance this could be stopped, and you you know why? The reason is, he’s on Facebook. He has said, ‘I want to kill people and children,” he said. “He’s got friends. Obviously they saw that.”
7News cameras showed a Sunny Isles Beach Police cruiser parked outside of the young victim’s home in Royal Palm Beach, Friday. The child’s father is an evidence specialist with the police department.
Investigators said they do not believe Wall and the victims knew each other.
Christina Wall, the shooter’s former sister-in-law, said it’s a tragedy.
“I feel bad for the family of the victims. It’s horrible,” she said.
It’s a devastating loss for those who knew the victims.
“It’s really sad. We lost a good friend, a good neighbor, and the baby,” said family friend Iri Tatur.
Investigators said there was no connection between the gunman and his victims.
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