Officers had been searching for 21-year-old Tariq James Taylor since the attack at the Food Lion around 7 p.m. in the 2800 block of Wendell Boulevard.
Police said the shooting was a domestic dispute involving Taylor and his boyfriend. They said Taylor also shot two other employees.
All of the victims were taken to WakeMed. One victim, 20-year-old Jason Jeffrey, is said to be in serious condition, while two others, 19-year-old Laquanda Beacher, and 22-year-old Shaquita Baker, were treated for non-life threatening injuries and released Thursday.
Jeffrey's family said he was shot three times - twice in the back and once in the leg. They said his injuries are extensive and he has already had several surgeries.
Another employee, Brent Thomas, said he came face to face with Taylor before the shooting.
"I was like, 'Dude you need to leave right now, or I'm calling the police. You need to leave right now,'" Thomas said. "Then he points a gun at my face. I drop to the floor, crawl to a register and try to call police. Then I heard about eight or nine gunshots go off."
Thomas was not hurt.
Taylor's body was found in a barn on Marshburn Drive near the store Thursday morning. He fled on foot after the shooting and apparently went straight to the barn. Police said the weather Wednesday night made it hard to track him.
"We used canines initially," Wendell Police Chief Vance Johnson said. "We had some very heavy rain going on at that particular time, so I think that was a little difficult on the dogs."
Food Lion released a statement after the shooting saying in part, "We are working closely with authorities and cooperating with the investigation of this unfortunate incident ... our thoughts are with those affected by this situation."
The Wendell store reopened Thursday morning.
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