Atlanta Publix gunman was caught by Instacart shopper

Suspect was armed with six guns when apprehended by police

An armed man arrested at a Publix supermarket in Atlanta was found to be in possession of six guns when apprehended by police (Atlanta Police Department)

An Instacart shopper alerted staff at an Atlanta supermarket after seeing an AR-15 rifle and hearing what he thought was the sound of guns being loaded with ammunition in the store’s bathroom.

Staff at the branch of Publix called the police who upon arrival arrested a suspect as he exited the bathroom and found that he had six guns, CNN reports.

The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Rico Marley, faces a number of charges related to the incident and is being held at Fulton Country Jail without bond.

It came a week after eight people were killed in a series of shootings in Atlanta area massage parlours, and just two days after 10 people died in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado — something that was on the mind of Charles Russell, the shopper who raised the alarm.

“I saw an AR-15,” he told CNN affiliate WSB. “And I was like, you know, this kind of startled me just again with events that recently happened in the grocery store up in Colorado.”

Read more:

• Fox News sued for $1.6bn over false election claims
• Alabama weatherman finds out live on air his home has been hit by tornado
• Georgia man paid out from job with 91,515 oil-covered pennies
• Georgia congresswoman arrested and hauled out state capitol over voting rights protest

The police incident report says that Mr Russell was entering the men’s restroom when he “heard clicking sounds from the bathroom stall”.

“It sounded to him like someone was loading firearms,” the report continues, adding that “he saw an AR-15 style rifle leaned against the wall”.

The suspect had entered the store openly carrying the rifle.

When officers arrived at the scene they found that the supermarket appeared to have been evacuated, and on entering almost immediately saw Mr Marley leaving the bathroom.

He was arrested without incident and appeared “surprised” according to the police report.

Police released a photo of the guns recovered from Mr Marley.

He faces 11 charges, including five counts of criminal attempt to commit a felony, and six counts of possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of, or attempt to commit, certain felonies

Mr Marley waived his right to appear in court on Thursday, where Judge Rashida Oliver ordered him to be held without bond due to the “danger risk to the community at large”.

The Publix supermarket chain released a statement saying that it was cooperating with the investigation and that “the safety of our associates and our customers is our priority”.

“We are thankful that there were no injuries, and all were able to exit the store safely.”