So many Walmart shoppers drew their own handguns during Colorado Walmart attack that police were unable to quickly identify the suspect CCTV
Shoppers at the Colorado Walmart where a shooter opened fire pulled their own handguns in defense
Police revealed the few armed individuals slowed the suspect-tracking process
A police spokesperson confirmed after the building had been deemed 'safe enough' to enter, officials quickly began examining the footage
Scott Ostrem, 47, was arrested at 8am on Thursday after the 10-hour manhunt
Police shared surveillance footage of him entering the store to try to catch him
Neighbors at his apartment block said he was 'evil' and often carried a rifle case
Thornton Police have not yet revealed what kind of gun was used in the attack
Victor Vasquez, 26, Pamela Marques, 26, and Carlos Moreno, 66, all died
Police say startled shoppers at the Colorado Walmart where a shooter opened fire and killed three stalled the search process after they drew their own handguns in defense.
The shoppers' immediate response to the violent event 'absolutely slowed' investigation as it left authorities scanning through surveillance tapes in pursuit of the single armed attacker.
The few innocent yet armed individuals were eventually weeded out as suspects, amid the several hour-long investigation which began Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
A police spokesperson confirmed after the building had been deemed 'safe enough' to enter, officials quickly began examining footage from inside the supermarket, according to The Denver Post.
'That's when we started noticing that a number of individuals had pulled weapons,' said Victor Avila, who works in part for the Thornton Police Department.
'At that point, as soon as you see that, that's the one you try to trace through the store, only to maybe find out that's not him, and we're back to ground zero again, starting to look again. That's what led to the extended time.'
The suspect, Scott Ostrem, 47, was arrested on Thursday at 8am, ten hours after allegedly opening fire at the Walmart superstore in Thornton, Colorado.
Further investigation found Ostrem to be a failed businessman with astronomical credit card debt as well as a bad reputation with his neighbors.
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