Investigators say grandmother likely saved lives in Publix shooting

ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Investigators say the grandmother shot and killed along with her grandson at a Publix in Royal Palm Beach likely saved other lives.

See also: Publix gunman wrote about killing people and children on Facebook

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said the unidentified 69-year-old struggled with gunman Timothy J. Wall after he shot her grandson in the shopping cart at the store last Thursday.

As a result, deputies said the interaction may have caused the killer's gun to malfunction and forced him to reload, giving others time to run out the store.

Wall, 55, then shot the grandmother before turning the gun on himself.

See also: Investigators reveal timeline of deadly shooting inside Publix

The sheriff's office said Wall had a .45 caliber Springfield XDM pistol.

Detectives are investigating how he came into possession of the gun since he was not the original purchaser of the weapon.