Richland Fred Meyer shooting: More details emerge about accused shooter's 'harassing' behavior

RICHLAND FRED MEYER SHOOTING: Gym of accused shooter said he used to take notes on people

A gym chain in Richland, who wished to be anonymous, said they canceled the accused shooter's membership after he allegedly watched and took notes on gym goers. The gym said he would go to multiple locations a day within a short span of time

RICHLAND, Wash. - A memorial was held for the man killed in the Richland Fred Meyer shooting earlier this week, and now, more details are emerging about the accused killer, Aaron Kelly.

According to court documents, 39-year-old Kelly opened fire at the Fred Meyer on Jan. 7, killing 38-year-old Justin Krumbah and critically injuring another.

Police talked to Kelly’s former roommate, who reported that Kelly had "been spiraling mentally and is very paranoid." The roommate told officers about seeing Kelly with a 9mm handgun previously.

A Richland gym also noticed troubling behavior from Kelly before the shooting.

The gym, which wanted to remain anonymous, said they banned Kelly from all their locations because he would come in, watch members, and take notes about them.

An employee said Kelly had an iPad and was videotaping throughout the facility, which made other members uncomfortable.

"We realized that his bag was left behind and a notebook - a spiral notebook. And the page was open and we noticed on the front it said ‘Kill _____'" in all caps, according to the gym employee. The name is not being stated for the safety of the person.

"There also appeared to be surveillance times or notation times of random comings and goings of people. He would document random different names, talking about what time they were leaving or what time they were walking out of the bathroom," the gym employee continued.

The gym employee also stated that Kelly would visit different gym locations on the same day within hours at a time. He would show up in jeans, not workout clothes.

"He's a manipulator. He's a calculator. He plans everything out," Kelly's former roommate and landlord Bryant Scott told KAPP/KVEW News.

Scott put up cameras in his home because he was that disturbed by Kelly's behavior. He said Kelly would follow him around the house, just staring at him as he went about his day. Like the gym reported, Scott said Kelly would observe and track his routine.

He would also put a dresser in front of his bedroom door at night because was afraid of Kelly's unpredictable behavior.

Scott said he tried to get Kelly kicked out of the home for harassment and wanted his pistol taken away, but he couldn't be evicted due to the state's pandemic eviction moratorium. He ended up having to sell his house just to get Kelly out.

On the day of the shooting, surveillance video showed Kelly going into the store and passing a man in an aisle. That man was later identified as Krumbuh.

According to the court documents, the video showed the two people talking to each other and Krumbah back about his business. Kelly then shoots the man with a handgun and shoots him multiple times on the ground.

Krumbah died at the scene.

Kelly is seen leaving the aisle and shoots another person, who was taken to Kadlec Regional Medical Center and was in critical condition, police said. He then leaves the store.

He was arrested on I-90 between Sprague and Spokane about 12 hours after the shooting. He was booked into the Benton County Jail at about 2 a.m.

Kelly is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder.

Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 13 Seattle app. Download for Apple iOS or Android. And sign up for BREAKING NEWS emails delivered straight to your inbox.

Stay connected with FOX 13 News on all platforms:
DOWNLOAD: FOX 13 News and Weather Apps
WATCH: FOX 13 News Live
SUBSCRIBE: FOX 13 on YouTube
DAILY BRIEF: Sign Up For Our Newsletter
FOLLOW: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram