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| Scene of shooting at Conway Walmart (source) |
(UPDATED -- See below)
Walmart employee Myron Terrell, 29, clocked out of his job at a Walmart store in Conway, Arkansas, then returned minutes later and shot a fellow Walmart employee, Lori Martin, firing multiple shots, then fled, but was later arrested.
Martin was sent to the hospital in critical, but stable condition.
From an article:
Conway police arrested 29-year-old Myron Terrell, of Conway, about an hour after officers said he walked inside of the business at 1155 Skyline Drive, shot at Conway resident Lori Martin multiple times and fled the store, the police deparment's spokesman LaTresha Woodruff said.
Martin was taken to Conway Regional Health System to be treated for her gunshot wounds and is in "critical, but stable condition," according to Woodruff. No one else inside of the store was injured in the shooting, and it was not immediately known how many people were inside.
Wooruff said Terrell was arrested at a Conway apartment complex and is being held at Faulkner County jail. She said Terrell worked as a part of the store's "maintenance crew" and said she did not know how long Terrell has worked at Wal-Mart.
The shooting occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, and Terrell fled before officers arrived, Woodruff said. Terrell had "clocked out" about 30 minutes before he had walked back into the store and opened fire. Woodruff said customers inside "started running from the store" when they heard shots being fired.Related: an eyewitness account of the shooting.
Additional details came from another article:
Through video surveillance, police learned the suspect entered the store’s south entrance around 9:54 p.m., and “began walking down different aisles around the store” and seemed to be looking for someone. Police said the suspect was in the area of checkout aisle 9 and 10 when “he turned slightly to his left” and walked toward checkout aisle 7, according to the affidavit.
“He walked straight toward a white female, Lori Martin, who was standing in line 7,” the affidavit states. “He produced a handgun from his waistband area, pointed it at Mrs. Martin and began firing multiple rounds from the weapon.”
Police said the suspect then fled to a vehicle in the parking lot. Further investigation into the video surveillance showed the vehicle was parked in the same spot since around 1 p.m.
Video surveillance showed the suspect previously entered the store, went to the customer service area and returned an item, the affidavit states. This revelation, along with witness and employee statements, helped police learn the identity of the suspect.
Terrell was taken into custody outside his apartment in the 1800 block of Hogan Lane around 2:05 a.m. Sunday.
According to the affidavit, Terrell admitted to the shooting while being interrogated by investigators. Terrell claimed he felt threatened by the victim and was tormented by her his entire life.
“He could not give any facts to corroborate his claim as to how he was threatened or how he was being harassed,” the affidavit states.
“Looking at video and talking to people led detectives to believe [the victim] was targeted, but no evidence leads to them knowing each other,” Conway police spokesperson La Tresha Woodruff told the Log Cabin Democrat on Sunday.
Hours after his arrest, detectives obtained a search warrant and executed it at Terrell’s apartment, which yielded the discovery of a silver and black Ruger LC 9mm, one loaded magazine and “two large plastic vacuum-sealed bags containing a green leafy substance,” according to the affidavit. Two smaller plastic bags of the same green leafy substance and two digital scales were also found in the apartment, the affidavit states. One 9mm shell casing was also found in Terrell’s vehicle.
The victim was transported to the Conway Regional Medical Center where she underwent surgery. According to the affidavit, the surgeon indicated Martin suffered injuries to her abdominal region and calf. The surgeon also indicated the victim had three “projectiles” lodged in her body, including one in her upper back, which resulted from a gunshot wound to her chest.
Woodruff said Sunday that at last check, Martin was in critical but stable condition. A Conway Regional Medical Center employee confirmed Monday afternoon that Martin was still in the hospital’s Critical Care Unit.
Walmart. Save money. Die faster.
UPDATE (3/24/14): Information on 911 calls, released. See HERE.
UPDATE (6/24/14): The shooter, Terrell, was found mentally unfit to stand trial, with a history of mental illness, had delusional beliefs, and "perceived people as zombies or demons." From an article:
Although there was reason to think he was malingering, or faking symptoms, the doctor wrote, “there is considerable evidence to suggest that he also experiences legitimate symptoms of mental illness that could impair his capacity to testify, strategize with his attorney and adhere to a defense strategy, manifest appropriate courtroom behavior, and make rational decisions regarding his case.”
The forensic report indicates that Terrell perceived some people as “zombies” or demons, and that he “reported that he had never shot at a demon prior to the night of the alleged offense, saying ‘It was following me around. I hear it right now. It[‘s] trying to tell me to go to hell or give my soul, sell my soul.'”.
