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| Scene of shooting at Phoenix Walmart |
A man was witnessed by store security as he used a knife to cut open the packaging for a BB gun and then tried to shoplift it, in a Walmart in Phoenix, Arizona. When police arrived and approached him, he pulled out a gun from his waistband and aimed it at them, and they shot him dead.
The man, 39-year-old Chuckie Stowers, was known to panhandle outside the Walmart and was found with the registration of a recently-stolen car on him.
It hasn't been revealed whether the gun that was pointed at police was the same BB gun that he had just stolen.
A news video.
From an article:
Just before 4 p.m. Saturday, a Walmart loss prevention officer saw Stowers on the closed circuit store cameras removing a BB gun pistol from its original packing using a knife with a 4- to 5-inch blade, police said.
"They were watching him cut items open from packaging and conceal those items," said Phoenix police Sgt. Trent Crump.
Investigators said the three officers spotted Stowers leaving the store.
"As soon as he got past the doors, the suspect turned toward the officers and reached into his waistband, pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at the officers," said Crump.
Walmart shopper Pauline Viselli tells CBS 5 News she was in the store when the shots rang out outside in the parking lot.
Viselli said the entire store was evacuated.
Officers found the registration of a stolen vehicle in one of his pockets.
Walmart. Save money. Die faster.
