Crozet, VA – A routine afternoon at a Harris Teeter grocery store turned deadly on Monday when an armed gunman opened fire in the store’s parking lot, killing two people before being stopped by an off-duty federal agent.
Authorities identified the shooter as 28-year-old Justin Barbour of Crozet, who arrived at the shopping center armed with an AR-15 Rifle variant. At approximately 1:35 p.m., Barbour opened fire, first targeting 43-year-old Peter Martin of Crozet as he exited the store. Martin was killed at the scene. The gunman then turned his attention to 68-year-old Diane Spangler of Afton, who was sitting in her vehicle. Spangler was shot and later succumbed to her injuries at UVA Medical Center.
Just seconds into the rampage, an off-duty federal agent—who was exiting the store at the time—heard the gunshots and immediately engaged the shooter with his personal weapon. According to police, the agent fired, striking and killing Barbour before he could claim more victims. The agent was unharmed.
“There’s no doubt the casualty count could have been much higher,” said Albemarle County Police Chief Col. Sean Reeves. “This heroic individual selflessly placed himself in harm’s way to stop the gunman and prevent further loss of life.”
Witnesses described the horrifying scene as Barbour fired in controlled bursts, methodically moving through the parking lot.
“He would fire off a volley of four or five rounds, pause for a second, and then fire off another volley,” said Andre Morgan, a bystander and former military serviceman who was near the scene. “You immediately freeze and think, ‘No, no, no, this isn’t happening.’”
Another witness, Bill Han, was inside the grocery store when the shots rang out. “I heard about six gunshots, really loud, really fast,” Han recalled. “People started running, and the managers were yelling for us to get out.”
Authorities have yet to determine a motive for the attack, and it remains unclear whether Barbour had any connection to his victims. While he had no prior criminal history, police confirmed he had previous encounters with law enforcement as recently as January 2025.
Albemarle County investigators urge anyone who was in the area during the shooting to contact Detective Holmes at 434-296-5807 or Crime Stoppers at 434-977-4000 with any relevant information.
“This was a senseless act of violence, but it could have been much worse,” Reeves emphasized. “We owe an immense debt of gratitude to the off-duty officer who neutralized the threat before more lives were lost.”
As Crozet residents mourn the loss of two community members, many are calling attention to the role armed citizens and law enforcement play in stopping violent attacks before they escalate further.
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crazy people will be crazy ,and an armed individual can minimize the damage
Good job, unidentified Federal Agent! You probably saved a lot of lives with your decisive action!
Was there an active shooter in New Mexico? The local rag just e-mailed me to report Gene Hackman, his wife, and dog are dead in their NM home. And that “Foul play was not suspected.” I guess it could be a CO accident.
Mass shooter.
FIFY.
Why were they telling people to get OUT? That would put them INTO danger.
He will probably get fired for not answering an email later cause they don’t know if he’s at work or not