Witnesses recount deadly Elkhart supermarket shooting
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"I started hearing bang, bang, bang. Then more bangs," she said. "The sound was so intense and echoed through the store."
At first, paralyzed with fear, she then ducked, thinking there may be a random shooter in the grocery store.
"There was an employee, thank the Lord, who was standing at the meat counter actually. And she's the one that waved the three of us, there were three of us standing right in that area, out the back door," South said.
They started running when they got out, she said, crossing the train tracks and taking shelter at the nearby Mexican restaurant, La Esperanza.
"I was shaking and crying of course, like others. It's just scary," she said.
Elkhart police got the call about 5:30 Monday, arriving to find two people, dead from gunshot wounds, inside the store.
The victims are identified as 49-year-old Benjamin S. Jeffrey, a Martin's customer, and 19-year-old Annasue Rocha, an employee at Martin's.
Two officers engaged with the suspect, identified as 54-year-old Juan M. Sanchez, outside the store near the Riverpoint West Apartments, where Sanchez shot and injured both.
The officers, expected to be okay, are Corporal Paul Vandenburg and Patrolman Ethan Pasternak.
"I actually had just come in from taking my dogs outside to go potty. As soon as I came upstairs, I was just getting ready to play music, and all the sudden I heard shots, 'bang bang bang bang bang,'" said Jasmine Diver.
Diver, a resident at Riverpoint West, called 911 after hearing the shots. Both officers hit were transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, after shooting and killing Sanchez.
"I caught the very tail end," Diver said. "Like right when he dropped. I've never seen something like that before."
Witnesses also say that a stray bullet hit a glass door inside the apartment complex gates, shattering a portion of it.
Bullet holes are visible in multiple vehicles outside the complex, near where the glass was shattered.
Bethel University student, Piero Sobrosa, says he was inside the Martin's Supermarket just about an hour before shots rang out. He says knowing that it could've been him who was injured or even killed is a terrifying thought.
Directly outside of the supermarket, several bouquets of flowers sit against the building wall, as well as a prayer candle in remembrance of the lives that were lost.
"It is really sad, it's very traumatic and it's really close to home, I mean, right outside my window," Diver said.
The Elkhart County Homicide Unit is in charge of the investigation, still working to piece together the events that led up to the shooting.
Elkhart Police Chief Dan Milanese released the following statement:
“In this horrific situation, words cannot express the pain felt in our community when a tragic incident like this happens. This pain is especially felt by the victim’s families, the responding officers, the families of the wounded officers, and all the witnesses to this tragic incident. I want to thank our local law enforcement partners, including the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police, for their support and assistance during this time. I ask for the community to continue to keep all those effected by this horrific event in your thoughts and prayers.”