Costco employee shot, killed after confronting shopper carrying gun with drum magazine

A Costco employee in Ohio was shot and killed after refusing entry to a shopper who attempted to enter the store while carrying a weapon equipped with a drum magazine.

Police in Strongsville, Ohio, responded to reports of gunfire outside the Costco on Royalton Road around 5:45 p.m. on April 25 and found 61-year-old Randolph E. Corrigan with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers began first aid before he was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Witnesses told police the suspect, 22-year-old Christian M. Bryant of Fort Worth, Texas, was seen walking toward the store entrance with “a drum magazine protruding from one of his pockets,” according to authorities.

Corrigan approached Bryant and told him he could not enter the store with the weapon, according to police.

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According to a court document obtained by WJW, Bryant fired one round and then “after a split second pause, fired many more, one after another, with no pause.”

A police report said Corrigan was shot multiple times, including in the chest, abdomen and right arm. He was initially conscious and able to answer questions, but his condition quickly declined.

Several bystanders stopped to help Corrigan at the scene, with one person applying pressure to his wounds until first responders arrived, according to the report.

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Bryant told police after his arrest that “a white man approached me with a knife for no reason” and that “I defended myself.” During a court hearing Monday, he reiterated the claim, saying, “This man approached me with a knife.”

Police said Corrigan had a pocket knife at the time of the encounter.

Bryant is charged with murder and appeared in Berea Municipal Court on Monday, where Judge Sean Kilbane set his bond at $5 million at the request of Strongsville police Detective Zaki Hazou.

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Hazou said Bryant is a truck driver who was passing through Ohio and has a prior criminal record, though he is not currently on probation or parole.

The case is expected to be presented to a Cuyahoga County grand jury, and additional charges may be considered, according to police.

Following Corrigan’s death, a GoFundMe page was launched to help his family cover funeral expenses. As of Tuesday evening, the fundraiser had raised more than $40,000 of its $55,000 goal.

“He was selfless and caring…the sole caregiver for my 86-year-old grandmother,” the page’s description read. “Aside from taking care of her, he LOVED going to work at Costco, always talking about his coworkers. He would joke, laugh, and pass around sweet treats to everyone around him, making every day brighter for those he met.”

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A victim advocate speaking on behalf of Corrigan’s family said they want “justice to be served” and urged anyone who witnessed the shooting to come forward.

Representatives for Costco and the Strongsville Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.