JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A massive Amazon Fulfillment Center near Jacksonville International Airport remained closed Wednesday, the day after a 22-year-old woman was shot and killed and a man, also shot, was hospitalized.
Neither has been publicly identified but police believe both were employees. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was not an active shooter situation and the shootings appear to be domestic but police have released few other details.
Police responded to 911 calls from the facility about 7:30 p.m. Officers found the woman dead at the scene and the man injured. Police have not said who the shooter was but confirmed officers found a gun.
A woman who works at the center and asked to remain anonymous said she heard gunshots while she was in the cafeteria.
“It was actual gunshots and we walked a couple steps. You see two people laid out by the stairs,” she said.
It was a frightening scene for Amazon employees and their loved ones.
“She called us around 7:30 and said, ‘Mom, there’s a shooting. Can you come get me?’” one woman told News4Jax as she waited outside a scene swarming with first responders.
Hundreds of employees were evacuated and a SWAT team cleared the 800,000-square-foot building to make sure there wasn’t any ongoing threat.
“They have to do it step-by-step -- one square foot at a time," News4Jax crime and safety analyst Ken Jefferson said.
Some workers were held in the parking lot for hours.
“You cannot leave until police give you permission to leave because you may have information that could be helpful for the investigation,” Jefferson said.
Amazon is offering counseling and support to the 2,000 employees who work at the center. The facility’s expected to reopen on Thursday.
“This is a terrible tragedy," Amazon spokeswoman Lisa Levandowski said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and all those who have been impacted by this incident. We are working closely with the Sheriff as they investigate.”
JSO records show police have responded to the Amazon center on Pecan Park Road 182 times since the beginning of the year. While most were traffic incidents and other minor calls, there was an armed assault at the beginning of June, and a deadly shooting at the end of that month.
On June 29, a 20-year-old man was killed while standing in a line outside waiting to apply for a job. Two bystanders were grazed by bullets but did not require hospitalization. No arrests have been made in that incident.