(DailyVantage.com) – A 20-year-old Indiana resident recently attempted to commit a mass shooting at a Fort Wayne grocery store, marking the latest mass shooting event in 2024.
According to authorities, the suspect, Richard Klaff Jr., entered a Kroger with the sole intention of killing customers. Klaff Jr. livestreamed the entire event on Facebook and even told his viewers to record the stream as he opened fire on a store employee and two customers in the bakery section.
Despite opening fire at several unsuspecting people, Klaff Jr. didn’t hit anyone within the Kroger during the mass shooting. Court documents indicate that Klaff Jr. spoke about his plans during the livestream while he walked around the store and confirmed that he wouldn’t shoot an older person. Klaff then found several people in the store’s bakery section, whom he allegedly shot at while screaming obscenities. Klaff Jr. attempted to flee the grocery store after he opened fire at the three victims, but police intercepted the wannabe shooter shortly after the incident. Upon his arrest, police claim Klaff Jr. told them he had a lifelong desire to kill another person.
Following the shooting, investigators visited Kroger and searched the area for any evidence regarding Klaff Jr.’s alleged actions. Detectives found several bullet holes in the bakery area featured in Klaff Jr.’s livestream, two of which were just inches away from the customers where Klaff Jr. opened fire. Investigators uncovered an additional two bullet holes near the scene, which were inches from a door in the bakery area. Police interviewed Klaff Jr. after his arrest, where the suspected shooter told them about his lifelong desire to kill other people and his plan regarding the Kroger shooting.
According to detectives, Klaff Jr. entered the store for the sole purpose of finding someone to kill during his livestream. Klaff Jr. allegedly told his viewers that he wanted to kill at least 11 people during the shooting, a claim detectives claim he repeated during his interrogation.
Klaff Jr. also told police that he didn’t want to shoot any older people and that he opened fire at the three victims due to the lack of cover in the Kroger bakery section. Prosecutors charged Klaff Jr. with three counts of attempted murder and an additional count of criminal recklessness. If convicted for the failed mass shooting, Klaff Jr. could receive a prison sentence of 126 years.
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