The man who shot and killed two people at a Jefferson County Kroger store has been federally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Western District of Kentucky U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gregory A. Bush, 53, was sentenced for killing 69-year-old Maurice Stallard and 67-year-old Vicki Lee Jones in October 2018 in what was a racially motivated attack. Both Stallard and Jones were African American.
During his federal plea hearing, Bush admitted that on October 24, 2018, he drove to a Kroger grocery store in Jeffersontown armed with a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol. In the store, Bush followed a black man (Stallard), who was shopping with his grandson, for the length of an aisle before pulling the gun from his waistband and shooting the victim in the back of the head, prosecutors said. Bush then shot the victim several more times in the torso, killing him. Bush had no prior relationship with the victim and chose to shoot him because of the victim’s race, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Bush then re-holstered his gun and calmly walked out of the store.
In the parking lot, Bush walked up to a black woman (Jones) and shot her several times in the head and body, killing her. Bush had no prior relationship with this victim and chose to shoot her because of her race, prosecutors said.
Seconds later, Bush encountered a black man who was in lawful possession of a handgun. The third victim asked Bush what was going on, and Bush, without responding, began walking toward him with the gun drawn. The third victim fired at Bush, and Bush returned fire. After about a minute, Bush stopped shooting and walked away. Bush had no prior relationship with the third victim and chose to shoot at him because of his race, according to federal prosecutors.
Bush next encountered a white man, who was legally armed with a firearm. Bush told him, “Don’t shoot me [and] I won’t shoot you. Whites don’t shoot whites.”
The racial motivations for the killings became even more apparent when it was discovered that Bush had, just minutes prior to opening fire at the Kroger store, attempted to enter services at the nearby First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, whose congregation is predominantly black. The locked doors there may have prevented even greater loss of life, officials said.
Previous published reports indicate Bush has a history of mental illness.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
