The white man accused of shooting two black grocery store patrons in Kentucky has been indicted on two counts of murder.

Prosecutors say Gregory Bush was indicted on Wednesday by a Jefferson county grand jury in the shootings a week ago at a Kroger store in suburban Louisville. Bush also was indicted on one count of criminal attempted murder and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.

Bush was seen on surveillance video trying to enter a historically black church minutes before the shootings at the grocery store. He was not able to enter the church, police said. The church is headed by a black pastor and has a large African American membership.

A federal prosecutor has said federal investigators are examining if there were any violations of federal law, including potential civil rights violations such as hate crimes.

The police chief of the town outside Louisville where the shooting happened said he believes the killings were racially motivated.

An arrest report said Bush walked into the store outside Louisville, pulled a gun from his waist and shot a man in the back of the head, then kept shooting him “as he was down on the floor”. The report says Bush then re-holstered his gun, walked outside and killed a woman in the parking lot.

The local coroner’s office identified the victims as Maurice Stallard, 69, and Vicki Lee Jones, 67. Stallard is father of Kellie Watson, the chief racial equity officer for the Louisville mayor, Greg Fischer.

A witness was quoted by the Courier Journal of Louisville said he saw the gunman walk “nonchalantly” by with a gun by his side in the car park. He said he called out to ask what was going on, and the gunman replied: “Don’t shoot me. I won’t shoot you. Whites don’t shoot whites.”

The 51-year-old Bush is being held in a local jail. Bush’s case will proceed to Jefferson County Circuit Court in Louisville.