A Hamilton Kroger was evacuated Sunday afternoon after a shopper’s comment set off a large police response, closing the Main Street store for nearly two hours before it reopened around 6 p.m.
Hamilton police responded around 4 p.m. to the Kroger on Main Street on the city’s west side after an employee reported that a shopper had allegedly threatened to open fire inside the store. Officers began clearing the building while employees and other officers moved customers out, and the response drew nearly every available unit in Hamilton.
Chief Trent Chenoweth said the report did not hold up once everyone involved was interviewed. Police located the person of interest, but no arrest was made. “It turned out it seems to be blown out of proportion,” Chenoweth said, adding that investigators found no gun, no weapon and no threat to anyone.
The chief said the heavy response was also tied to another incident on the East Side that needed multiple units at the same time. “You’re in a situation where everyone is tied up on this,” he said, adding that he did not want to minimize the call because officers treated it like the real thing and were glad everyone was safe, even though it drained city resources.
No shots were fired and no one was hurt. The store’s reopening around 6 p.m. ended the shutdown, but the unanswered question is what exactly the shopper said to the employee that made the initial report serious enough to clear a grocery store and pull so many units off other work. Anyone with information can call the Hamilton Police Department Main Desk at 513-868-5811.
