Suspect turns himself in days after Walmart shooting near Atlanta; girl released from hospital

Update: Adrian Jelks turned himself into police after 2 a.m. Wednesday and remains in custody. The 9-year-old victim has since been released from the hospital.

A manhunt is underway for a male suspect who police say was responsible for a Friday shooting inside a Walmart in Georgia that left one person dead and a 9-year-old girl wounded, police say.

The second instance of fatal violence inside a Walmart within a week in the United States, the shooting was reported around 10 p.m. local time at a store in Fayetteville, located 22 miles south of Atlanta, according to the city's public safety department. A 19-year-old man was the target of the shooting, while the child was merely a bystander hit by a stray bullet, police said.

Both victims were transported to nearby hospitals for medical treatment, where the 19 year old, identified as Antavius Holton of Riverdale, Georgia, was pronounced dead. The girl's injuries were not life-threatening, police said in a Saturday update on Facebook.

Investigators quickly identified a 19-year-old man named Adrian Jelks as the suspected gunman and initiated a search to arrest him on charges of murder and aggravated assault, according to the Fayetteville public safety department.

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Police release photo of suspect; arrest suspected accomplice

Fayetteville police released a photo of a man they identified as Jelks within hours of the shooting.

By the time police responded to the Walmart, Jelks had already fled the scene in a vehicle that investigators later found abandoned. It's unclear where Jelks may be, but police warned the public that he is still believed to be armed and to call 911 if they encounter him.

Fayetteville Police Chief Scott Gray had no new information to share when reached Monday morning by USA TODAY.

A 19-year-old woman who is suspected of being an accomplice in the shooting was arrested by Saturday morning, police said. Sandra Romero-Nunez of Fayetteville was charged on suspicion of being a party to murder and aggravated assault, police said.

Shooting comes after fatal stabbing at Illinois Walmart days earlier

The shooting comes days after an 18-year-old Walmart employee was killed March 24 at a northern Illinois store in a stabbing attack.

Investigators said the victim was working inside the Walmart at the time of the attack, which occurred in Rockford, about 17 miles south of the Wisconsin state line. A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to the Winnabego County District Attorney's Office.

While police said the Georgia shooting was not believed to be random, it was unclear what Jelks' suspected motive was for the attack.

“We're heartbroken by what happened in our Fayetteville store Friday night and extend our sympathies to the loved ones of those involved," Walmart said in a Monday statement provided to USA TODAY. "We are working with law enforcement to assist them in any way we can as they investigate.”

Shoppers told Atlanta News First that they were initially confused by the commotion Friday until they learned what had happened.

“This isn’t usually something that happens in this community,” Rhonda Cason told the news station. “It’s usually a quiet community. So, this is really unusual for us.”

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com