Atlanta man detained after carrying five guns into store just two days after Boulder shooting

Police on Wednesday arrested a 22-year-old man who walked into an Atlanta grocery store wearing body armour and carrying five guns, just days after a mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket that had left 10 people dead.

The authorities were called a little after 1.30pm to the Atlantic Station Publix where the manager had called police to say that an armed man, later identified as Rico Marley, had entered the store and headed straight to the bathroom.

“A witness observed the male and alerted store management, who then notified police,” police spokesman Officer Anthony Grant was quoted as saying by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Marley was quickly apprehended for questioning after he left the bathroom. He has been charged with reckless conduct and will be transported to the Fulton County Jail for further investigation, reported Newsweek. The police have also confiscated his weapons, including two long guns and three pistols.

The authorities are investing the motive behind carrying so many guns to the grocery store and sent him for psychiatric evaluation.

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Following the incident, several police cars were parked outside the supermarket and Atlantic Drive, the main street running in front of the store, was closed to traffic. Customers have also been turned away from the store.

“We are cooperating with local law enforcement on an incident that occurred earlier today in our Atlantic Station store,” a Publix spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Hill. “We are thankful that there were no injuries, and all were able to exit the store safely. The store is currently closed.”

Atlanta Police are also investigating a suspicious package that was spotted at the same store shortly after Marley’s arrest.

The incident comes days after a man killed 10 people at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, and just a week since the mass shootings in the Atlanta area that claimed eight lives including that of six women of Asian origin. The shootings prompted a renewed demand for gun control from Democrats.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, 104 mass shooting incidents have been reported in 29 states along with Washington DC this year. The rise is dramatic compared to last year when 66 cases of mass shootings were recorded for the same period.

Additional reporting by agencies