A man and a woman were killed in a shooting Friday morning at a Giant grocery store in Oxon Hill, Maryland, when an attempted act of shoplifting turned deadly, police said.
Police said a male security guard confronted a female shoplifter, who pulled a gun from her backpack and opened fire on the security guard. He then returned fire, police said.
Prince George’s County police responded about 10:25 a.m. to the shooting at the Giant in the 20 block of Audrey Lane, at the Eastover Shopping Center.
The security guard, 43-year-old Willie Tate of Fredericksburg, was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspected shoplifter, 20-year-old Zaila Akida of District Heights, died at a hospital, police said.
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A witness reported multiple gunshots inside the store.
Officers swarmed around the grocery store during their investigation. Police tape was blocking off a large section of the parking lot. The Giant is closed to customers while police investigate.
The shooting was an isolated incident, and there’s no threat to the community, police said.
Information on the man and woman's identities was not immediately available.
Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.
