MYFOXNY.COM -
An employee shot and killed two coworkers and then himself at a Pathmark store on Route 9 in Old Bridge, N.J.
The 23-year-old gunman left his shift at a Pathmark store in Old Bridge Township around 3:30 a.m. and returned a half-hour later with a handgun and an AK-47 assault rifle, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said.
Officials did not release the suspect's name but multiple media sources identified him as former Marine Terence Tyler.
The Marines said Tyler was an infantryman but never served overseas, the AP reported. He was wearing military clothing during the shooting, the report said.
Kaplan said the gunman fired 16 shots in all. Officials said that police did not fire any shots.
There were 12 to 14 employees in the store and the victims included an 18-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man.
The parent company of Pathmark issued a statement about the shooting.
"We are terribly saddened by the incident at our Old Bridge Pathmark store this morning. We express our deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and our appreciation to local law enforcement," spokesperson Marcy Connor said. "Our main concern is the safety of our associates and customers. We continue to work with local authorities during the investigation. At this time, we cannot comment on the ongoing police investigation regarding the incident."
One of the victims was identified as Cristina LoBrutto. She had posted a tweet around 11 p.m. on Thursday night saying: "im glad im at work a half an hour early."
An hour later she posted: "Its fine pathmark you can make it -50 degrees in here..."
Her final post, around 1 a.m. said: "@Christianavarro come visit me"
A co-worker posted a photo of LoBrutoo with the message, "I can't believe she's gone."
The other victim was identified as Bryan Breen, 24, from the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge.
Several police cars were parked in front of the store as the sun came up on Friday morning.
The Old Bridge police department said things started unfolding at about 4 a.m. The store was closed at the time.
SkyFoxHD showed a SWAT team in the store parking lot.
Two windows in the front of the store were broken out after the incident.
Other employees were able to escape the grocery store through a back door. They were gathered together at a nearby TGI Friday's parking lot that police were using as a command center.
New Jersey Transit reported on its @NJ_TRANSIT Twitter feed that bus service would continue at the nearby Old Bridge Park & Ride but the parking lots remained closed on the northbound side due to the police activity. It said that bus tickets/passes will be honored on New Jersey Coast Line trains because of the problems at the Park & Ride lot.
Old Bridge is a suburb of about 65,000 a few miles from New York City.
Original source: MyFoxNY.com
Alleged shooter Terence Tyler, seen in a photo posted in his Twitter profile.
