An Indianapolis (IN) woman who was held hostage and witnessed a fatal shooting during a robbery attempt is suing her local Kroger store and the store's former manager.

Christine Nelson, who worked as an unarmed security guard at the Kroger, was being held hostage by alleged robber Jeremi Atkinson. Responding to Nelson's cries for help, store manager Elijah Elliott came to her defense. Video surveillance cameras show that after Atkinson released Nelson he charged at Elliott, who then fatally shot Atkinson. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office ruled the shooting to be justified under Indiana law to prevent a forcible felony.

Nelson claims in her lawsuit that she was endangered and traumatized when Elliott shot Atkinson.  She seeks unspecified damages and contends she suffered "extreme mental anguish and emotional distress" in witnessing the fatal shooting. 

Elliott acknowledged that he violated Kroger's policy barring employees from having weapons on store property and resigned after the shooting.

The alleged robber's mother, Toni Atkinson, also filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Kroger. News reports indicate that Atkinson's criminal record showed a conviction in 2009 of armed robbery for holding up a Subway restaurant.

—Source: Indianapolis Business Journal