Police say Randolph Corrigan had multiple gunshot wounds when officers reached the Strongsville store.
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — Several bystanders were already on the ground trying to save a wounded Costco employee when police arrived outside the Strongsville store after reports of gunfire on April 25, authorities said.
Those first minutes are now part of a murder case against Christian M. Bryant, 22, of Fort Worth, Texas. Bryant is accused of shooting Randolph E. Corrigan, 61, of Cleveland, after Corrigan tried to stop him from approaching the Costco entrance with a visible firearm. Bryant pleaded not guilty Monday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to two counts of murder and two counts of felonious assault. His bond remained $5 million.
The emergency call came in at about 5:43 p.m. at the Costco Wholesale on Royalton Road, a busy stretch in Strongsville southwest of Cleveland. Officers found Corrigan with multiple wounds outside the store. A police report said good Samaritans were kneeling beside him, and one person wearing work gloves was pressing on his chest. Officers took over lifesaving efforts, using chest seals and a tourniquet before paramedics transported Corrigan to MetroHealth Medical Center. He later died from his injuries.
The scene officers encountered was both a medical emergency and a crime scene. Police secured a firearm found on the ground near Bryant, then preserved the area around the entrance. News crews later reported seeing evidence markers and bullet damage outside the building. Officers also recovered a knife near Corrigan. Police have not publicly released a full evidence log, but the firearm, knife, shell casings, body-worn camera recordings, 911 calls and any store surveillance video are likely to be central pieces of the case.
Prosecutors say the confrontation started shortly before officers arrived. Bryant had parked a commercial truck outside Costco around 5:40 p.m., got out and walked toward the front entrance, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said. A firearm with a 50-round drum magazine was hanging from Bryant’s shorts pocket, prosecutors said. Corrigan was on break near his vehicle, saw Bryant heading toward the entrance and followed him. Officials say Corrigan attempted to stop Bryant from getting closer to the doors.
What happened next lasted only a short time but now forms the heart of the prosecution. Prosecutors say Bryant shot Corrigan multiple times, causing him to fall, then came closer and shot him again. Police said Bryant repeatedly stated after the shooting that Corrigan had a knife. At an early court appearance, Bryant said, “This man approached me with a knife.” His attorneys later said Bryant acted in self-defense and that his behavior before and after the shooting did not indicate he intended to harm anyone.
O’Malley has described Corrigan’s actions as an effort to protect others. “Randolph Corrigan died trying to protect customers at the Strongsville Costco from an armed gunman,” O’Malley said after the indictment was announced. The defense has rejected that framing, calling the incident an “unfortunate misunderstanding.” The two accounts agree on some physical facts, including that Corrigan had a knife near him after the shooting and Bryant had a gun. They sharply disagree on what those facts mean under Ohio law.
The immediate public record does not answer every question about the seconds before the shots. Authorities have not said whether Corrigan spoke to Bryant before following him, what words were exchanged, or whether other employees tried to intervene. They have not released store security video or audio from the entrance. Police also have not said whether Bryant had a permit, whether he was a Costco member, or why he was at the store. Investigators have asked witnesses who left before speaking with officers to contact detectives.
The case moved quickly after the first response. Bryant was arrested at the scene and initially charged with murder, an unclassified felony. He appeared in Berea Municipal Court, where a judge set bond at $5 million. At that hearing, Bryant made a statement about Corrigan having a knife, and the judge cautioned him about speaking before he had legal counsel. The case was then bound over for grand jury review, a standard step for serious felony charges in Ohio.
On May 11, a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Bryant on two murder counts and two felonious assault counts. The indictment shifted the case to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in downtown Cleveland. Bryant pleaded not guilty on May 18. The judge continued his $5 million bond and set a pretrial hearing for May 20. That hearing was expected to begin the process of exchanging evidence, addressing deadlines and setting future dates.
The shooting left an imprint on the store and the community around it. Shoppers who spoke to local reporters said they were unsettled by the violence in a place tied to ordinary weekend errands. Corrigan’s family members attended Bryant’s first hearing and asked for witnesses to come forward. Family supporters have said Corrigan worked at Costco and helped care for an elderly relative. The store itself has not publicly provided a detailed account of the encounter.
The rescue attempt outside the store did not save Corrigan, but it remains one of the clearest early details in the public record. The case now turns from the pavement outside Costco to a courtroom in Cleveland, where prosecutors and defense attorneys will argue over the gun, the knife and the moments before the first shot.
Author note: Last updated Wednesday, May 20, 2026.