Three people were shot in a Jewel-Osco grocery store in the city's Bronzeville neighborhood Tuesday morning, Chicago police said.

Police said that shortly before 11 a.m., two people came into the store, located in the 400 block of East 34th Street in the Lake Meadows shopping center, and tried to take merchandise. As the pair tried to leave the store, a 46-year-old man intervened. 

One of the suspects pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting the 46-year-old and two other people nearby, Chicago police said. It was not immediately known if any of the victims were store employees. 

People who were inside the store said it was chaos.

"This is the first time anything like that had ever happened," said Debra Pleasant.

Pleasant was left shaken by what she witnessed Tuesday morning.

"I heard around six to eight shots. I just took off running," she said, "and then like the store just went into like a chaos. Everybody was just running, trying to find safety, and everything of that nature."

The 46-year-old was shot multiple times "in the body" and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition.

A 29-year-old woman was struck in her left foot and was also taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where her condition was stable. 

A 67-year-old woman suffered a graze wound to her left foot and declined medical attention at the scene, Chicago police said.

Pleasant said she feared for her own safety.

"I was all discombobulated," she said. "I didn't know which way to go, whether I should go this way or go that way, so I just hid in a corner."

Pleasant said she waited several minutes before being able to exit the store and get home. 

The shooting drew a large police presence outside the store.

Video posted on the Citizen app showed at least a half dozen CPD squad cars and multiple ambulances outside the store. When CBS News Chicago arrived at the scene, most of those vehicles were in the process of leaving as officers worked to clear the parking lot in front of the store.

Video posted on social media also shows paramedics treating two of the victims inside the store before transporting them to the hospital.

Chicago police closed off the store for the rest of the day.

Data collected by Auror, a retail crime intelligence platform, shows that 1 in 7 retail crimes in Illinois involve violence, assault, weapons aggression and verbal abuse.

Cathy Donovan Wagner, CEO of RETAILMavens, works with independent store owners on all facets of running a business—including reducing retail crime and boosting profits. She said when it comes to armed robberies like this, it's best for store employees not to try to directly intervene.

"It's not your job to handle it, it's just your job to get help. That's what you have to do," she said. "This is your business, this is your baby, so it's hard not to take it personally. It's hard not to get angry and want to storm out after the guy, but like you said … nothing is more valuable than your own life or the life of your team members."

A spokesperson for Jewel-Osco commented on the incident in a statement, writing in part, "We are thankful for the quick response from the Chicago Police Department, who secured the store and the safety of our associates and customers. We are working with the CPD as they investigate further."

Chicago police said no one was in custody late Tuesday, and an investigation was ongoing.