Prosecutors say Randolph Corrigan was shot after trying to stop an armed man from entering the Strongsville store.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Texas man accused of killing a Costco employee outside a Strongsville warehouse store pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and felonious assault charges in a case that began with a confrontation over a gun, court officials said.

Christian M. Bryant, 22, of Fort Worth, Texas, is charged in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in the April 25 death of Randolph E. Corrigan, 61, of Cleveland. A grand jury indicted Bryant on two counts of murder and two counts of felonious assault after prosecutors said he shot Corrigan outside the Costco Wholesale on Royalton Road. A judge kept Bryant’s bond at $5 million and scheduled the next court step for May 20.

The case moved from Berea Municipal Court to the county courthouse after prosecutors presented it to a grand jury. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said Corrigan “died trying to protect customers at the Strongsville Costco from an armed gunman.” Bryant’s defense team has described the shooting as “an unfortunate misunderstanding” and said Bryant acted to defend himself after Corrigan approached with a knife. Bryant has not been convicted, and the charges remain accusations while the case moves through court.

Prosecutors said Bryant arrived at the store around 5:40 p.m. in a commercial truck, parked outside and walked toward the front entrance with a firearm that had a 50-round drum magazine hanging from his shorts pocket. Corrigan was on break and standing near his vehicle when he saw Bryant moving toward the entrance, prosecutors said. Corrigan followed Bryant and tried to stop him from getting closer to the building. Police and prosecutors have not said whether Corrigan was assigned to security work or whether he had been told to confront Bryant.

The encounter turned deadly within moments, according to prosecutors. They said Bryant shot Corrigan multiple times, causing him to fall, then moved closer and shot him again. Officers found a firearm near Bryant and secured it. They also found a knife near Corrigan. Police reports cited by local officials said Bryant repeatedly told officers that Corrigan had a knife. During his first court appearance in Berea Municipal Court, Bryant said, “This man approached me with a knife.” The judge advised him not to make statements before speaking with an attorney.

Strongsville police said officers were called to the store at about 5:43 p.m. for a report of gunfire. When they arrived, several bystanders were already trying to help Corrigan. A police report said one person wearing work gloves was applying pressure to Corrigan’s chest while others stayed near him on the pavement. Officers saw several wounds, applied chest seals and used a tourniquet before paramedics took over. Corrigan was transported to MetroHealth Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries.

The indictment marks a formal step in the case and sets up a longer court process in Cleveland. The two murder counts give prosecutors more than one legal theory to present, while the felonious assault counts address the shooting itself. The court record now places the case before a common pleas judge, where attorneys are expected to address discovery, evidence, possible motions and scheduling. Prosecutors have said the shooting happened outside the store, and no public filing has said that shots were fired inside the Costco.

The defense is expected to focus on Bryant’s claim that he feared for his safety when Corrigan approached with a knife. In a statement after the arraignment, Bryant’s attorneys said his conduct before and after the shooting was not the conduct of someone who intended to harm anyone. Prosecutors, by contrast, have emphasized the visible gun and drum magazine, Corrigan’s effort to block the entrance and the allegation that Bryant fired again after Corrigan fell. Those competing accounts are likely to shape future hearings.

The shooting rattled Strongsville, a southwest suburb of Cleveland where the Costco sits along a busy commercial stretch near Royalton Road. News crews later reported police tape, evidence markers and a large law enforcement presence near the front of the building. Shoppers who returned the next day described shock that a killing had happened at a familiar store. Corrigan’s family members attended Bryant’s first court appearance and said through a victim advocate that they wanted “justice to be served.”

Police have continued to ask people who saw the shooting and did not speak with officers to contact detectives. That request suggests investigators are still trying to fill out the sequence of events before and after the gunfire. The case also leaves several public questions unanswered, including why Bryant was in Strongsville, whether he had been inside the Costco before the confrontation and what store policies or staff instructions were in place that day. Authorities have not released a full video record of the encounter.

For now, Bryant remains held on $5 million bond after his not guilty plea. His next reported pretrial date was May 20 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where attorneys were expected to begin sorting evidence and scheduling the path toward trial.

Author note: Last updated Wednesday, May 20, 2026.