Updated: 10/9/2008 12:03:25 AM
William Johnson, 42, of Knoxville faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and kidnapping after allegedly shooting an employee of Reno Menswear inside Knoxville Center Mall Wednesday afternoon.
Police said Johnson got into an altercation with Ahmed Nahl, 29, a Reno Menswear employee, before shooting Nahl multiple times.
Nahl, a native of Egypt, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Knoxville Police officers then arrived and exchanged gunfire with Johnson. The officers shot Johnson twice, who was then taken to UT Medical Center with what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries.
The officers, Sgt. Darrell Griffin and Officer Tyler Wylie, are both on paid leave. This follows standard operating procedure for any officer-involved shooting. Griffin is a ten-year veteran of the department while Wylie has worked with KPD for three years.
Johnson now faces one count of murder for Nahl's death, two counts of attempted murder for his exchange with the officers, and a count of aggravated kidnapping.
Police said Johnson held a customer inside Reno Menswear during the incident.
Previous Report
Knoxville Police report an employee of Reno Menswear was fatally shot by a gunman in the store. A preliminary investigation indicates the gunman and the employee were involved in some kind of confrontation, then the gunman shot the employee multiple times.
KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk said the gunman then got into a gunfight with two responding officers. The suspect was shot twice and transported for medical care.
He remains in stable condition.
The suspect and the store employee were the only people wounded. The store employee was pronounced dead on the scene.
He has not yet been publicly identified, pending the notification of the next of kin.
The shooting occurred around 4:30 Wednesday.
Witnesses at the Buckle in the mall reported hearing at least three shots. A manager at Dr. Bizer's Vision World reported hearing more than three shots. People rushed into the store and took refuge in the moments after the shooting.
Police cordoned off a crime scene, and set up multiple evidence markers in place at Knoxville Center Mall. More than a dozen officers were on the scene, as are Knoxville firefighters.
Among the witnesses was Knox County Commissioner Greg "Lumpy" Lambert. He and other witnesses have been asked not to talk to the press just yet.
The mall is closed for the night.
If you were on the scene and have pictures or video, you can send them to wbir and join in the news process.
