COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — Nearly one year after a mass shooting at a Collierville, Tennessee, Kroger left two people dead - including the shooter - and 15 injured, Collierville Police have released never-before-seen footage from inside the Kroger that day.
The footage, asked for by ABC24 shortly after the shooting happened and released nearly a year later, shows a clearer picture of what happened September 23, 2021, when UK Thang, a disgruntled former employee at the Collierville Kroger, entered with several firearms around 1:30 p.m.
15 people were injured, one of whom, Olivia King, died from her wounds.
What the new footage reveals
The security footage released by Collierville Police shows Thang pulling up to the store in an SUV at 1:30 p.m., grabbing what appears to be a rifle and a backpack from the back seat, and entering the store one minute later.
Almost immediately, customers and employees begin to run out of the store as shots are fired.
Thang then ran throughout the front of the store, shooting as people were running out of the front door, and moving towards the self-checkout counters, where more were hiding from him.
Thang reloaded his rifle and walked towards the back of the store, where more people, many of whom were elderly, ran out of the back loading bay.
Several people, including a woman riding a mobility scooter, are seen escaping the store mere seconds before Thang follows them through that same door.
He is then shown emerging from the loading bay into a back alley, shooting at several people from very close range.
He walks back into the store around 30 seconds later, and at this point, police said he shot himself.
About five minutes after the shooting began, first responders began rushing into the store, many of whom were not wearing protective gear beyond their routine bulletproof vests.
You can watch an edited version of the security footage below.
WARNING: This video depicts gun violence and may be highly disturbing to some viewers. Discretion is advised:
What led up to the shooting
Police said Thang worked as the sole operator and franchise owner of the sushi counter in the Kroger on New Byhalia Road. Investigators said he had a disagreement with another employee, was called into the manager’s office, then asked to leave about 7:00 a.m.
Police said about 12:30 p.m., Thang was at his apartment he shared with his brother, and told him he was leaving to get something to eat. About an hour later, police said Thang called his brother and told him this was the last time they would talk before hanging up.
Collierville Police said Thang had ammunition and extra loaded magazines on him when he was found. They said the guns were legally purchased from licensed gun dealers at different times over the past year and a half. They said the guns were an ATI Omni pistol 7.62 x 35, KelTec PMR-30 pistol - .22WMR, and KelTec CMR-30 rifle - .22WMR.
Investigators said Thang had worked inside the Kroger since July 2020, having moved to Collierville from Antioch, Tennessee. They said he had not criminal history, but had been cited by Collierville Police for illegally parking in a handicap zone in January 2021.