On the evening of January 15, 2014, 20-year-old Krystle Lauren Dikes was working her shift at Martin's Supermarket in the Cobblestone Crossing shopping center in Elkhart, Indiana. Krystle was stocking shelves at the store, where she was employed, when a gunman entered the premises around 10:00 p.m. The assailant, later identified as 22-year-old Shawn Bair, was armed with a semi-automatic handgun and a large hunting knife. He had been wandering the aisles of the store for some time before he began his attack.
Without warning, the gunman opened fire, fatally striking Krystle Dikes. He then moved through the store and shot a second victim, Rachelle Godfried, a customer who was shopping at the time. The attack sent panic through the supermarket as employees and shoppers scrambled to find safety or flee the building. Witnesses later described a chaotic scene as shots rang out, prompting immediate emergency calls to local law enforcement.
Elkhart police officers arrived at the scene approximately three minutes after the initial reports of gunfire. Upon entering the building, they located the suspect, who was holding the store manager at gunpoint near the back of the store. Perceiving an immediate threat to the life of the hostage, officers engaged the shooter. Bair was struck by police fire and died at the scene, ending the rampage before further loss of life could occur.
Due to the death of the sole suspect during the confrontation with police, there were no subsequent arrests, trials, or convictions related to the murder of Krystle Lauren Dikes. Investigations following the incident revealed that Bair lived near the supermarket and was a regular customer, though no clear motive for the violence was immediately established by authorities. The case was closed with the determination that the shooter acted alone and was neutralized by the swift response of the responding officers.
