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| Scene of shooting at Greenville Walmart |
(UPDATED: see below).
A man in Greenville, North Carolina, armed with a pistol-grip shotgun and a bag of ammunition, surprised a man at a law office and shot him, then crossed the street to the local Walmart parking lot and shot three others.
Police caught up to the man outside a neighboring Toys-R-Us store. A shootout ensued, and the suspect was shot three times before being taken into custody.
All of the victims and the shooter are likely to survive.
A fast-thinking witness also warned the Toys-R-Us by phone, giving them enough warning for them to lock their doors, just before the shooter attempted to enter the store.
From an article:
The gunman's first target was seated in his car outside the Kellum Law Firm on the city's south side, Aden said at a news conference. The firm's main office in New Bern declined comment. Kellum has nine personal injury offices in the eastern part of the state.
The suspect crossed five lanes of traffic after the Kellum shooting and injured the three others before he was caught, Aden said. Police are still trying to determine the shooter's identity and motive. He is in police custody at a local hospital, Aden said.
The victims are all in operating rooms at local hospitals, Aden said. He didn't give specifics on their conditions or their names and ages.
The shooter was using a "pistol-grip shotgun" with an unknown number of rounds, Aden said. He had a bag filled with ammunition, Aden said.
"He had enough to really do some significant damage," the chief said.
Early media reports said the gunman entered the Walmart, but police later confirmed that the shooting took place outside.
"The gunman never entered our store. It was in the parking lot," Wal-Mart Stores Inc. spokeswoman Dianna Gee said. "All customers and associates are safe."(a related article)
Walmart. Save money. Die faster.
UPDATES (6/27/13): The shooter has been identified as Lakim Anthony Faust, age 23.
See HERE for details on the shooting, including that Faust wore a ballistic vest and had 100 shotgun rounds with him.
HERE is more detailed information on the victims and their wounds.
According to the news video below, he had a juvenile record of violence in Baltimore, and had more ammunition in his Greenville home:
Kellum Law firm, site of the first victim, has set up a relief fund for all four victims.
UPDATE (9/27/13): The shooter, Lakim Faust, chose his victims based on race. He is now recovering in jail.
UPDATE (4/27/14): A benefit was held for one of the shooting victims, who is still recovering from his wounds. From an article and news video:
Leggett was hit by several shotgun pellets during the shooting that took place in the parking lot of the Walmart last June. While some of Leggett’s wounds have healed, we’re told others still require medical attention, and have prevented him from going back to work. That has put the financial burden on his wife and daughter.
"He had five surgeries in about 2 weeks. He lost his kidney, his spleen, his gallbladder, he's still got a place in his back that's draining, I go every day and change the bandage on his back,” said Amy Leggett, Vernon’s daughter, “So, he's getting back to his daily activities but is still limited on what he can do. His stamina hasn't come back."
Trial for the suspect in the case, Lakim Faust, has been set for January 20th of next year.UPDATE (11/17/14): The shooter, Faust, has been sentenced to 97 years in prison for the shooting.
