A mother-of-three was shot dead at a Memphis-area Kroger, allegedly by an employee, who injured 13 others then turned the gun on himself.
Olivia King was killed when the gunman, whose name has not been released, opened fire in the supermarket in Collierville, Tennessee.
Wes King, who appears to be in the military, paid tribute to his mom on Facebook after her death on Thursday.
'Dear friends, it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that my mother has died [from] her wounds,' Wes posted on Facebook.
He said he had received a call 'from a stranger' while he was at work, informing him that his mother 'was hit during an active shooter scene, and that I was marked as her emergency contact.
'She was breathing at the time he called me.'
The victim killed in a shooting at a Kroger supermarket outside of Memphis, Tennessee was identified as Olivia King, right. She is pictured with her youngest son, Greg
Wes continued to explain that his mother was shot 'directly in the chest,' and emergency medical service technicians tried to save her with CPR until she got to the hospital. The hospital staff then also tried to save her, but to no avail.
'I apologize for the graphic details, but this type of crime needs to stop being glossed over and sanitized,' Wes wrote. 'No one deserves this.'
Family and friends described Olivia, a mother to three sons, as 'kind, generous, caring and selfless.'
'Everyone needs to be more like Olivia,' Collierville Vice Mayor Maureen Fraser, who had been friends with her since they both moved into the town in the mid-1990s, told the New York Times.
She said one Christmas, Olivia gave her family an enveloe filled with money, knowing her husband was out of a job.
Olivia's own husband had died in 2005, and she had reportedly been living with Wes until he and his family moved to Ohio.
In a statement to Fox 13, the King family said: 'Our family is devastated by this senseless act of violence.
'We ask that you pray for the repose of the soul of our mother, Olivia King,' they said. 'We also ask for their prayers for all families and friends affected by the events today, as well as God's mercy on the shooter and his family.'
In a statement to FOX 13, the family asked for prayers for their mother and all of the other victims of the deadly shooting
Olivia's son, Wes, took to Facebook to share the news of his mother's passing
The shooting on Thursday took place at a Kroger in Collierville, a suburb just east of Memphis, according to Fox 13 TV.
There were 44 employees inside the grocery store at the time, Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said in a news conference Thursday night. All of them had been accounted for.
Lane said the department received a report of an active shooter at 1:30pm. The first officers arrived on the scene four minutes later.
SWAT team officers arrived on the scene and went aisle to aisle in search of the shooter, according to police. The FBI also deployed its emergency response team.
The shooter, meanwhile, killed King and injured 12 others in the rampage before taking his own life, according to authorities. Several store employees hid in freezers and locked closets during the horror.
As of 4pm local time, four people were listed in critical condition at Regional One Hospital. Five were in non-critical condition.
Baptist Memorial Hospital in Collierville also received one patient, who was discharged, and the Baptist Memorial in Memphis received two, according to the New York Times.
Another walked into a hospital for treatment, Lane said, and an additional person who was at the scene later sought treatment for anxiety.
One victim was in surgery, Dale said, and another was admitted to the ICU.
Crime scene tape was seen outside of the Kroger supermarket on Thursday night
Authorities gathered outside as they investigated the mass shooting
The entire area surrounding the supermarket was roped off
A member of the media live streams as Kroger representative Teresa Dickerson speaks at a news conference following the shooting Thursday night
Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane said at the news conference that the police were still investigating whether the shooter was a former employee
The shooter is now believed to be an employee.
According to Action 5 News, a current employee who was not working Thursday said one of his co-workers recognized the shooter as a Kroger employee, and a family member of another employee also said the shooter was a Kroger employee.
But at the news conference Thursday night, Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane would not confirm whether the shooter had been a store employee or what type of weapon was used, saying those details were part of the investigation.
He said, though, there is 'no credible evidence there was a second shooter,' and 'as far as we know there wasn´t any other incident that led up to this.'
Authorities are still working to figure out a motive, he added, and have not yet named a suspect.
'It´s going to take a little bit before we know what happened,' Lane said
Police respond to the scene of a shooting at a Kroger's grocery store in Collierville, Tennessee on Thursday
One person has been killed and 12 others were wounded in a mass shooting at the supermarket
People embrace as police respond to the scene of the shooting in suburban Memphis
A Kroger employee appears to be overcome with emotion as she talks on a cell phone in the parking lot of the supermarket after Thursday's mass shooting
A SWAT team officer is seen outside of the Kroger in Collierville, Tennessee on Thursday
A woman uses a cellphone in the parking lot as police respond to a shooting at a Kroger grocery store in Collierville, Tennessee
After the store was secure and the shooter confirmed dead, police searching the store parking lot were still investigating the shooter's car as well as personal equipment that is believed to have belonged to him.
Brignetta Dickerson, a Kroger employee for 32 years, said she was at the cash register when she heard gunshots. She said she played dead in order to avoid being seen by the gunman.
'He started popping that gun,' she told WREG-TV.
'It sounded a bit like a balloon popping. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap — just like that.'
Dickerson also said she saw a male colleague get shot in the head. He was still able to talk, she said.
'This right here is not going to stop me from working,' she said.
'I'm going to work on.'
'This is the most horrific event to happen in Collierville history,' Collierville Chief of Police Dale Lane said afterward.
'This scene is horrific, I've been involved in this for 34 years and never seen anything like it.'
Several witnesses reported hearing at least a dozen gunshots.
A number of customers fled the store while employees took shelter in the freezer, according to reports.
An injured person is loaded into an ambulance outside of the Kroger supermarket in Collierville
A massive presence of law enforcement officials was seen at the Kroger supermarket in Collierville, Tennessee on Thursday
A Memphis Fire Department vehicle is seen above at the scene in Collierville
SWAT team officers helped the employees run to safety. A Kroger employee who escaped to the roof was rescued by responding officers, according to police.
A Fox 13 TV reporter witnessed three victims on the ground, though their condition is not known.
Two medical helicopters were in the area to evacuate victims, according to witnesses.
There is no additional threat to the community, Chief Lane said at a news conference Thursday night.
The shooting was reported at the Kroger supermarket on Byhalia and Poplar Avenue in Collierville.
In a statement, the supermarket chain said: 'The entire Kroger family offers our thoughts, prayers and support to the individuals and families of the victims during this difficult time.
'We are cooperating with local law enforcement, who have secured the store and parking lot,' it continued. 'The store will remain closed while the police investigation continues, and we have initiated counseling services for our associates.'
Authorities said they were working with witnesses to understand what unfolded before the shooting, and did not have any information about a motive.
The Collierville chief of police said the department received a report of an active shooter at 1:30pm
A row of police cars is seen near the Kroger supermarket in Collierville on Thursday
The ATF is heading to the scene and will be helping with the investigation. The Memphis Police Department has also sent personnel to assist with the probe
First responders arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting began, with several individuals rushed to the hospital, WMC-TV reported.
Glenda McDonald, a Kroger employee who works in the store's floral department, said she was not injured but was shaken.
McDonald said she walked out of the back office to the floral counter when she heard a loud noise that sounded similar to a gunshot.
'I just ran out the door,' McDonald said. 'I left my purse, my keys, everything.'
Schools in the region were placed on lockdown.
Parents of students at Collierville High School received a message indicating that there was a shooting off-campus.
A lockdown was announced but it has since been lifted.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms were at the scene to help with the investigation.
The Memphis Police Department has also sent personnel to assist with the probe.
Kroger employees are seen outside of the store after the mass shooting on Thursday
Law enforcement officials and Kroger employees are seen in the parking lot outside of the supermarket in Collierville on Thursday
Police officers investigate the crime scene outside the Kroger supermarket in Collierville on Thursday
Employees embrace in the parking lot of the Kroger store after the mass shooting on Thursday
Manny Reis, 49, was driving down Poplar Avenue when he saw several police cars arrive.
'Tons and tons of cop cars flying towards the back entrance of the Kroger on the street that runs behind it and they blocked it all off, and then they're all opening up their trunks and grabbing shotguns,' Reis told Memphis Commercial Appeal.
'And then they all started swarming around.'
Reis said he witnessed four paramedics carrying away someone without a shirt.
'There were some people out. There was somebody without a shirt on,' Reis said.
'So I don't know if that person got injured, was shot I don't know.
'I know at one point I did see them basically, like four people go over to that person and pick that person up and carry them away from that area.'
Sarah McDowell, 26, said her mother works in the store's meat department. She was at the scene and was unable to reach her mother.
'I heard that there was an active shooter and my mom works here,' McDowell said.
'It's been an hour and a half and I still don't know where she is.'
She added: 'My mom is really kind. Everybody that works with her loves her. She's like a mom to everyone.'
Elsewhere, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee tweeted that her office was in touch with local authorities and with agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the ATF.
She added that she was 'closely monitoring the situation' and offered prayers for the victims.
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