Those on the scene of a hostage standoff in Amarillo Tuesday afternoon likened what was seen to the Orlando night club shooting just days ago.

“They tell me ‘run, run’ and I was confused and then I hear a gun,” said one woman who did not want to be identified. “At that moment I thought I was living Orlando.”

“I saw everybody screaming and everybody crying,” she said.

Amarillo Police said Mohammad Moghaddam, 54, was shot and killed by SWAT officers after taking two employees hostage.

Police characterized the incident as a case of workplace violence, adding that Moghaddam, who worked at the store, may have been disgruntled because he had been passed over for a promotion.

“We learned that he is an employee here. He had an issue with one of the managers over some type of employment deal. He was very unhappy with that, and one of the hostages was the manager that went into the room with him,” APD Lieutenant Erick Bohannon said.

“Some of the witnesses said as soon as he walked in the door he fired off a couple rounds. We think we found the bullet strikes in the ceiling so he shot up in the air and then immediately went up to one of the hostages and held the gun to him and directed to the back of the store to the room,” Bohannon explained.

APD, as well as the Randall County Sheriff’s Office, Potter County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Public Safety, and federal officials responded to the scene after the shots fired report just after 11:00 a.m. Tuesday.

APD said Moghaddam was shot and killed just before 12:30 p.m.

Moghaddam’s vehicle, which was in the parking lot at the time of the shooting, was searched for evidence, forcing officials to close the entire parking lot for several hours.

“I do know that there was a piece of paper with some writing on it in the car, but I can’t tell you what it said,” Bohannon said.

The suspect’s wife was also an employee at that Walmart location and according to Bohannon, she had been interviewed after the incident by law enforcement.

Bohannon made clear that this issue was not being investigated as an “act of terror.”

“This is quite frankly a workplace issue disgruntled employee,” Bohannon said.

“There is no indication that this had anything to do with terrorism or the shooting that happened over the weekend in Orlando,” police said in a statement.

“I’m not going to feel safe anywhere,” a witness said to EverythingLubbock.com.

“Today is my birthday. I thought it was going to be a great day until now,” she added.

APD indicated that the Special Crimes Unit would be handling the investigation, due to the officer-involved shooting.

According to a statement from police, “Investigators have not determined how many shots were fired at this point in the investigation. The two SWAT officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure to allow the investigation to be completed.”

APD said the hostages were not hurt, and nobody else was injured during the standoff.

An autopsy was expected to be performed in the coming days.

Walmart issued a statement on Twitter about the shooting:

“As soon as we heard about the situation at our store in Amarillo, Texas, we acted immediately. All customers and our two associates who were held hostage are safe. This was a very difficult situation and we are thankful for the quick response from law enforcement.”