Suspect of Kroger shooting told police he ‘always wanted to kill somebody,’ court docs reveal
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA/Gray News) - A man facing three counts of attempted murder after a shooting at a Kroger grocery store told police he “always wanted to kill somebody.”
Police say 20-year-old Richard Klaff Jr. of Fort Wayne was arrested in connection to a shooting at the East State Boulevard Kroger Thursday evening.
Klaff Jr. reportedly went live on a Facebook stream and told viewers he was going to shoot eleven people before walking from the store’s bathroom to the common area, according to a probable cause affidavit written by Fort Wayne Police Detective Aaron Johnson. He brandished a gold and black handgun and told people watching to screen-record the live stream.
WARNING: The following video contains footage that viewers may find disturbing and may contain profanity.
As he walked around the store, Klaff Jr. asked which person he would shoot, court records show. As he walked past an elderly man, he could be heard saying “I ain’t going to kill no old a** man.”
The suspect continued walking around the store and showing the gun to viewers.
“I’m going out with a bang,” he said.
Klaff Jr. could then be heard saying “I see one,” five times as he approached the store’s bakery department, court documents say. The last time he said the phrase, he raised his handgun and shot at a customer and two employees before running away screaming profanity and a racial slur.
Investigators found two gunshot holes that were waist-high just to the right of where the victims were standing and two on the wall above the kitchen door.
Klaff Jr. then allegedly fled the scene and made it to a bank across the street before police caught up with him, court records show. Police found his gun, phone, and wallet in a dumpster at a nearby store.
When police sat down to interview Klaff Jr., he asked early on if anyone died, court records show. After detectives asked if he was searching for a particular person to shoot, Klaff said he didn’t want to shoot anyone old, followed by asking how many people he shot.
Klaff Jr. allegedly told police he chose the people he shot at because they were standing in a position with no cover.
The 20-year-old suspect then allegedly told police he “always wanted to kill someone.”
“That’s all I wanted to do, I was supposed to go to the military,” Klaff Jr. said. “I couldn’t wait on that, obviously.”
Klaff Jr. is set to appear in court for the first time Tuesday. The three counts of attempted murder and one count of criminal recklessness he faces carry a potential 126-year prison sentence.
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