ATLANTA — It was the middle of the night, and Walmart employees were just a few hours into their overnight shifts in an otherwise empty Newton County store when horror broke out.

One of their co-workers went on a multisite shooting rampage that would leave two people dead and seriously injure a third, the sheriff’s office said. The terrifying episode ended hours later and more than 150 miles away in South Carolina, where authorities said the suspect was apprehended after he fired again, critically wounding himself.

Authorities identified the suspect as Dwayne Eduh, 24, of Covington.

The incident started around 1:30 a.m. Friday at a Walmart Supercenter on Salem Road near Covington, about 35 miles southeast of Atlanta.

Just before the chaos ensued, authorities said Eduh left the store, which was closed to the public, and grabbed a firearm. Upon returning, they said he shot two of his co-workers, whom officials described as his acquaintances.

Newton deputies who were called to the store discovered the two victims. Khalaf Barksdale, 21, of Conyers, died at the scene, officials said. Another Walmart employee was rushed to a hospital, where officials said he is stable.

“This was not an active shooter situation. The suspect specifically targeted individuals they knew,” the sheriff’s office said, though investigators did not disclose a possible motive.

Eduh then left the store and forced his way into a home about 2 miles away on Emerson Trail, authorities said. There, they said he fatally shot another co-worker, a woman officials also described as an acquaintance.

Authorities identified her as Akeela Clarke, 19.

Everything happened so fast, her mother, Samantha Clarke, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The suspect kicked in the front door, and her daughter ran and locked herself in an upstairs bedroom. Samantha Clarke said the suspect then shot at the bedroom door, striking her daughter.

“He just kept on shooting her and shooting her and shooting her and shooting her and shooting her,” she said. “He just emptied the whole magazine on her and then he left. I was right there. Everything happened in front of me.”

After opening fire at the Clarke home, Eduh took off on I-20 toward South Carolina, according to authorities. Deputies tracked down his phone number and began negotiating with him to turn himself in. But when South Carolina law enforcement arrived, Eduh shot himself, Newton officials said.

He was taken into custody and rushed to an Augusta hospital in critical condition. An update on what charges he faces has not been provided as of early Friday afternoon.

The Walmart store remained closed Friday. A few officers and private security workers stayed at the scene hours later asking people to leave.

A spokesperson for Walmart’s corporate office, in an email to the AJC, said the company is “heartbroken by what’s happened.”

“There’s no place for violence in our stores. We’re focused on taking care of our associates and supporting law enforcement with their investigation,” the statement said.

Destiny Clarke organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help with her sister’s funeral costs.

“Akeela was one of the most vibrant and joyful individuals you could ever meet, and this tragedy will leave an enduring wound in our family,” she wrote.

“No parent should ever have to bury their child, let alone witness their death,” she added.

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