Marjorie Owens and Sebastian Robertson

WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth

KAUFMAN, Texas — Authorities said one person is dead and the gunman wounded after a man fatally targeted a Dallas-area Walmart employee Tuesday morning.

The Kaufman County Sheriff's Department confirmed authorities were called to the Kaufman, Texas, store on a report of shots fired.

Capt. Fred Klingelberger, with the sheriff's department, said a 55-year-old man who didn't work at Walmart entered the garden center and fired his gun at the 59-year-old employee and then turned the gun on himself.

The captain said the victim died at the scene and the shooter was transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.

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Klingelberger initially said the gunman turned the gun on himself and died. He later said Kaufman city police subsequently told him the gunman survived and was taken to a hospital.

While there were others within the store at the time of the shooting, the shooter specifically targeted the employee, Klingelberger said.

"At this time, we understand there was an ongoing feud between the subjects," he said. "As you can understand, the investigation is very early and we're still looking into that."

Schools in the area were temporarily placed on lockdown as crews worked to clear the scene. The lockdown was lifted about 30 minutes later.

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Kaufman, a city of nearly 7,000, according to the 2014 Census population estimate, is about 33 miles southeast of Dallas.

"We're deeply saddened by the tragic situation that occurred in our store today," Walmart said in a statement. "We're assisting law enforcement however we can and our thoughts are with the families and our associates at this time."

The store was scheduled to remain closed for the remainder of the day.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Marjorie Owens and Sebastian Robertson on Twitter: @clumsyandshy and @wfaasebastian