JESSTOPIAN NEWS NETWORK - Governor Joshua Adamson has ordered flags to fly at half mast until Wednesday in honor of the victims who tragically lost their lives in a shooting at an Alden Product Mart Store on Thursday. The flags are expected to raised at sunset on May 8, 2024.

The shooting occurred a little after 6:45 PM on May 1, 2024, the shooter was quickly identified by Mesa Highway Patrol Troopers and Alden Police Department Officers who moved quickly to eliminate the threat. The shooter, whose identity has yet to be released by the MHP, turned the gun on the police who responded by shooting and killing the suspect.

"Our troopers and the incredible officers of the Alden Police Department moved quickly to identify the threat, and address that threat as their training has prepared them for," said MHP Commissioner Lewis Donaldson. "We are continuing to work with the Alden Police Department and the Alden County Sheriff's Office and Federal investigators."

The families of the victims were all contacted by law enforcement and Product Mart Chief Executive Officer Ronald Chlabowy also sent out a letter of condolences through the Product Mart Corporate website.

State officials are also investigating the shooting as a domestic terrorist activity. They say that these shootings aren't a result of just random probability. They are deemed targeted attacks, even if the shooting was at random. The man has been identified by police, but they say they will not release the names of the deceased shooter pending the full results of the investigation.