Teen Arrested In Shooting Inside Walmart Meat Section: Police

Riverdale, Georgia -- An 18-year-old man was arrested after authorities said he opened fire inside a Walmart in Riverdale, Georgia, and struck one person Thursday night.

The suspect, identified by Riverdale police as Matthew Thomas Jr., of Hampton, Georgia, was taken into custody Friday and charged with aggravated assault, CBS 46 reported.

Thomas appeared in court Friday. The judge ruled that he is to be held without bond, and a court date was set for July 20.

Police said the shooting started just after 6 p.m. Thursday evening at the Walmart off of Highway 85 in Riverdale.

The incident began when Thomas and another man got into an argument in the Walmart's meat section, Fox 5 Atlanta reported, citing investigators.

Thomas allegedly began firing a gun at one point, hitting the other man, police said.

An off-duty Riverdale police officer working security called the shooting into dispatchers.

Police initially thought this might be a case of a mass shooter, 11Alive reported. Officers from the Riverdale Police Department, Clayton County Police Department, Jonesboro Police Department, South Fulton Police Department, U.S. Marshals, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded and helped evacuate the store.

The victim, whose name has not been disclosed, was rushed to a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound, authorities said. His current condition is unknown.

The shooter fled the scene on foot, investigators said.

Thomas' connection with the victim has not been disclosed.

One anonymous shopper told Fox 5 that he heard at least 10 to 15 shots fired inside the store.

Another customer who was inside the Walmart at the time of the shooting told 11Alive that everyone rushed to get out of the store after they heard gunshots, with some leaving their belongings behind.

"It sounded like something like a crash, like something fell. We heard people saying, ‘Gun! Run! Shots!’" the unnamed woman said, "I have two children, so I’m running out the store with two children. Everybody was ducking, running. It’s really sad. We’re in Walmart trying to shop. We’re running for our lives. It’s sad."

Investigators are reviewing the store's surveillance video to learn more about the dispute between the two men. The investigation remains ongoing.

It was the third shooting at a metro Atlanta grocery store in two days.

On Wednesday, deadly shootings sent police to the parking lots of a Publix in North Decatur and a Kroger in Douglasville.