Two shot at Tulare FoodsCo

Tulare police are trying to piece together the circumstances of a fight in front of the Tulare FoodsCo supermarket that led to an employee being shot and another man stabbed and shot Wednesday.

Sgt. Andrew Garcia said his department started receiving several 911 calls around 6:18 p.m. from people reporting an altercation in front of the store at the Plaza Del Lago Shopping Center northeast of Prosperity Avenue and Hillman Street.

"As officers responded, we got shots fired reports," he said, noting that arriving officers found the wounded men near the store's entrance and whoever shot them gone.

Both were taken to undisclosed hospitals, and both were listed in critical condition Wednesday night.

Police wouldn't disclose their names or their ages, but Garcia said both were adults.

As for what happened, he said initial reports were that two men got into a fight inside the FoodCo near the entrance, and one man stabbed the other. A store employee went to offer first aid to the wounded man, Garcia said.

At that point, the other man involved in the fight reportedly pulled out a handgun and shot the store employee as well as the man he'd reportedly stabbed, police report.

"Multiple shots were fired," said Garcia, adding that he didn't know if the employee was the intended target of the gunman or if he was hit by stray gunfire intended for the man who was stabbed.

One witness reported that at least three shots were fired.

Police reported that no other customers or employees in or outside the store were hit by gunfire.

Police were looking at shopping center security videos Wednesday night to determine if only one suspect was involved in the fight and shooting or if there were others involved. Initial reports were that at least one suspect got in a car and fled the scene.

No descriptions of the car or the man were released Wednesday night before press time.