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Two Women Killed in Elkhart Grocery Store Shooting Identified

Posted at 3:18 PM, Jan 16, 2014
and last updated 2014-01-16 18:39:08-05
Elkhart Victims

Krystle Dikes (left) and Rachelle Godfread, the victims in the Elkhart supermarket shooting

ELKHART, Ind. – Indiana State Police have identified the two victims in Wednesday night’s shooting at the Martin’s Supermarket in Elkhart.

Family has been notified that 20-year-old Krystle Dikes of Elkhart, graduate of Elkhart Central High School, was shot and killed at work. Police believe Dikes was the first victim shot by suspect shooter, 22-year-old Shawn Bair of Elkhart, at approximately 10:05 P.M. Wednesday.

Investigators identified the second victim as 44 year-old Rachelle Godfread of Elkhart. Police say Godfread was shopping at the time she was shot.

At this time, police are working to determine if there was any motive behind the shooting. Indiana State Police are leading this ongoing investigation as Elkhart City Police were involved in the shooting of the gunman.

State Police Sgt. Trent Smith says Bair walked into Martin’s around 9:30 P.M. Wednesday wearing a heavy overcoat. Bair was a known community member, who never had a problem in the store.

Sgt. Smith says they do not know if Bair was hesitating to watch people or pick people out, while walking around the store for about 35 minutes. Investigators say Bair shot Dikes around 10:05 P.M. then fired at another Martin’s employee who ran away unharmed. Police say Bair shot Godfread multiple times shortly after.

Then according to police, Bair confronted the store manager and held him hostage while waving a gun at him as he sat on his knees. Elkhart City Police arrived a few minutes later when both Bair and the store manager ran away, then City Police shot and killed Bair who was also displaying a large hunting knife.

“This is still very early in the investigation, we have yet to make a final determination if there was truly any relationship between the shooter and the female suspects,” adds Sgt. Smith.

Investigators would not comment on Bair’s criminal background, but said after looking at video surveillance footage, they believe he walked into the Martin’s Supermarket with a purpose. A Facebook page of Blair’s showed several violent pictures and suggests he had an interest in known serial killers.

This investigation is ongoing.

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Shooting suspect, 22 year-old, Shawn Bair of Elkhart, Indiana. Indiana State Police say Bair killed two women at Martin’s Supermarket Wednesday night in Elkhart.