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A man was jailed after he opened fire on a customer he thought was shoplifting at a Washington state grocery store, according to FOX 13. Gig Harbor Police responded to the shooting at the Safeway in the 4800 block of Point Fosdick Drive around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday (April 30).
The incident began when 70-year-old Patrick Lathrop wrongly thought a 40-year-old customer was stealing merchandise from the store, officers say. Lathrop confronted the customer as he was leaving the store, the former allegedly blocking the exit with his body and shopping cart. A fight broke out between the two, and that's when the 70-year-old fired two shots, according to police.
One of the bullets reportedly struck the customer in the neck, and the other allegedly went through the glass door of Safeway. The victim was rushed to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and released later that day, authorities claim. He also gave a statement to police during his recovery, reporters noted.
Police say Lathrop confessed to shooting the 40-year-old, and his 9mm handgun was confiscated. He's facing one count of first-degree assault.
A similar yet more tragic incident went down recently in Virginia, where a shooter injured someone she thought killed her son.