Safeway worker 'acted heroically' to disarm shooter who killed 2 in Oregon store: What we know

A Safeway worker in Bend, Oregon, attacked a gunman Sunday night and may have saved lives before the suspect fatally shot him, authorities said Monday.

The employee, identified as Donald Ray Surrett Jr., 66, of Bend, was hailed as a hero by police. Surrett and a customer, Glenn Edward Bennett, 84, also of Bend, were killed Sunday evening.

Two others were injured when a gunman opened fire on the central Oregon grocery store about 160 miles southeast of Portland. The gunman died by suicide, police said. 

“Mr. Surrett engaged with the shooter, attempted to disarm him and may very well have prevented further deaths. Mr. Surrett acted heroically turning this terrible event,” Bend Police spokeswoman Sheila Miller said at a news conference as she struggled against tears.

Surrett was a 20-year U.S. Army veteran who worked as a combat engineer, his ex-wife, Debora Jean Surrett, told the Associated Press. 

The deadly shooting was one of several in the U.S. over the weekend:

• In Houston: Shortly after midnight Sunday, a man set an apartment building on fire man and shot five residents who were fleeing the blaze. Three people died, and the gunman was fatally shot by police.
• In Detroit: Four people were shot hours later by a man police believe to have randomly targeted victims over a 2 ½-hour period. Three people died; a suspect was arrested.
• In Phoenix: A man with a semi-automatic rifle killed two people and injured five others, including two police officers, in what investigators believed to be a random attack Sunday night.

Here’s what we know about the fatal shootings.

How did chaos unfold at Safeway in Bend?

A man began firing shots in the parking lot of the Forum Shopping Center, in northeast Bend, around 7 p.m. Sunday, police said in a statement. The man entered Safeway’s west entrance and shot one person, who died on the way to a hospital. The gunman continued firing through the store, fatally shooting another victim.

Two more people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police say.

Bend Police chief Mike Krantz said police immediately entered Safeway as shots were being fired. Police not fire their weapons at the scene, he said. 

Josh Caba told local TV station KTVZ that he was with his four children when he heard multiple shots as he shopped. 

“I immediately turned to my children and said, ‘Run!’ People were screaming,” Caba told the news outlet. “It was a horrifying experience.”

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What do we know about the Safeway shooter?

Police identified the gunman as Ethan Blair Miller, 20, who died by suicide in the shooting. Investigators were still trying to determine a motive.

Officers found the shooter dead near an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun. A search of Miller's vehicle found three Molotov cocktails, a sawed-off shotgun, additional ammunition and "digital devices," according to police. He had no criminal history in the area and it's unclear how he obtained the firearms.

Police are investigating whether the gunman may have posted online prior to the shooting; they said they had found no evidence of previous threats by the shooter.

Someone who appears to be the gunman posted on several sites, saying he struggled to recover from the isolation and loneliness of the pandemic. He also expressed hatred for himself and indicated he planned to attack his alma mater next week, the Associated Press reported. 

Isaac Thomas, a former classmate, told the Associated Press that Miller had worked at the Safeway and Thomas had run into him there two years ago. Miller "tried to fight quite literally everybody” at Mountain View High School, Thomas told The Associated Press. Thomas said the gunman once threatened to shoot him after a fight at their school.

In Detroit: 3 dead in shooting spree, suspect arrested

In Detroit, authorities arrested a man believed to be responsible for random shootings that began around 4:45 a.m. Sunday and resulted in the deaths of three people. One other person was injured.

The victims were a 40-year-old woman, a 28-year-old man and another woman in her 40s, according to authorities. A 76-year-old man survived. 

Investigators traced the shootings to the same firearm, and police arrested a 19-year-old suspect after a 12-hour search Sunday following a tip from someone close to him. He was arrested at home.

He "terrorized our community," Chief James White said.

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In Houston: Man sets fire in apartment building, kills 3

In southwest Houston, authorities fatally shot a man Sunday who set an apartment building ablaze and shot five fleeing tenants, killing three.

The attack occurred around 1 a.m. Sunday. The gunman had been evicted from the apartment, and police believe he set fire to the building to lure out tenants and shoot them. He used a shotgun to kill two people at the scene, and another died in the hospital, according to officials. 

Two men were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Houston Chief Troy Finner said. No firefighters or officers were hurt, he said.

In Phoenix: 2 dead, 2 officers hospitalized 

In Phoenix, a man armed with a semi-automatic rifle fatally shot two people in a seemingly random attack Sunday night. Two officers were among five others injured, Phoenix police said in a statement Monday. Police said Monday it appeared the gunman may have died by suicide. 

Nearby surveillance video showed the gunman leaving a motel room and shooting at random, the statement said. The shooter was seen firing into the motel before shooting into a car coming into the parking lot. 

A man and a woman who were inside the car were shot and died on the scene, according to police. Three other men who were injured during the incident were taken to hospitals and have been released.

Police said the suspect was found with a rifle, several rifle magazines, incendiary devices, gas mask and helmet nearby. 

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Contributing: Sara Raza, Detroit Free Press; The Associated Press