UPDATE (5/11/2023): Jalen Thomas has been officially charged with one count of murder and one count of unlawfully carrying a handgun.

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LAWRENCE, Ind. — A Dollar Tree employee has died after being shot by a former employee on Monday afternoon.

According to the Lawrence Police Department, the shooting occurred around 1:30 p.m. at a Dollar Tree located at 10555 Pendleton Pike.

Police said the victim was a female employee of the store and was transported from the scene in critical condition. Police later said around 9 p.m. that the woman, identified as 25-year-old Jasmine Bennett, had died.

Police said Bennett was in the store at the time of the shooting. Other shoppers and employees were also in the Dollar Tree when the shooting occurred.

Lawrence police confirmed that a suspect is in custody. The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Jalen Thomas, is said to be a male who was a former employee of the Dollar Tree. He is being preliminarily charged with murder, police said.

The shooting was not a random act, according to police, with Bennett being targeted by the former employee.