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SUFFOLK, Virginia — Suffolk Fire and Rescue (SFR) and Suffolk Police (SPD) responded to 1000 Block of University Blvd. for a reported suspicious package. Emergency Communications dispatched the incident at 9:34 a.m.

Suffolk Fire and Suffolk Police arrived at 9:43 a.m. to find a suspicious item in a flower bed near a parking space in the front of the business. Suffolk Fire Marshal’s Office requested the Virginia State Police’s (VSP) Bomb Squad to respond while firefighters removed all customers from the Kroger Market Place and established an exclusionary zone around the store and parking lot.

VSP’s Bomb Squad arrived at 10:17 a.m. and rendered the suspicious package “safe” at 11:19 a.m. Once the situation was deemed safe, the store manager could return the Kroger Market Place to normal operations. SFR’s fire apparatus and SPD’s officers cleared the scene at 11:33 a.m.

The Suffolk Fire Marshal’s Office continues to investigate the incident and package.