'Multiple' deaths in US mass shooting at Colorado grocery store

Police officers secure the perimeter of the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado -- scene of a deadly shooting

An ambulance leaves the parking lot of the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado after reports of an active shooter on March 22, 2021.Police responded to an active shooter at a grocery store in the western US state of Colorado

A gunman killed multiple people including a police officer at a grocery store in Colorado on Monday, police said, in the latest shooting to hit the western state -- scene of two of the most infamous US mass murders.

One "person of interest" is injured and in custody, police commander Kerry Yamaguchi told reporters, following the incident at the King Soopers store in Boulder, some 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of the state capital Denver.

Multiple US media reports said at least six people were killed in the shooting, citing anonymous law enforcement sources.

The suspect in custody was the only person suffering "serious injuries at this point," Yamaguchi said, without confirming that the man in the video was that suspect. 

"My heart is breaking as we watch this unspeakable event unfold in our Boulder community," said Colorado governor Jared Polis, calling the incident a "senseless tragedy."

"Our community will soon grieve our losses, and begin our healing."

"I just nearly got killed for getting a soda and a bag of chips," Ryan Borowski, who was in the store when he heard at least eight gunshots and escaped, told CNN.

Unverified early images livestreamed by an eyewitness showed at least three people lying prone on the ground both inside and immediately outside the store, before multiple new gunshots rang out. 

Dozens of armored vehicles, ambulances and armed personnel including FBI agents and SWAT teams were deployed to the scene.

"Our hearts are broken over this senseless act of violence," said King Soopers spokeswoman Kelli McGannon, praising "first responders who so bravely responded to these acts of violence."

Colorado has previously suffered two of the most infamous mass shootings in US history.

Then in 2012, a heavily armed man stormed a movie theater showing a Batman film in Aurora, Colorado, murdering 12. The gunman is now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

...