Why are there so many shooting incidents and other gun crimes on Walmart property?

Monday, March 24, 2014

Gunman robs victim at ATM at Mississippi Walmart

Occurred March 20, 2014.


A person was robbed by a gunman at an ATM on Walmart property in Meridian, Missisippi.

A suspect was captured.

From an article:
A person was trying to withdraw money from an ATM near the gas station at Wal-Mart on Highway 19 around 9 p.m. when a black male walked up with a gun in his hand. 
The victim then drove away and called police and gave a description of the suspect. Shortly thereafter, police took a suspect into custody.
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Saturday, March 15, 2014

12-year old younger brother of Walmart shoplifter threatens employee with realistic-looking pellet gun

Occurred on March 12, 2014.


A 19-year old man, Quaze Lanehart, was caught shoplifting electronic goods from a Walmart in Rochester Hills, Michigan. When confronted by store security, the man threatened them with scissors.  When they followed him out to the parking lot, Lanehart's 12-year old brother threatened the employees with a handgun.  

The pair were arrested.  The gun turned out to be a realistic-looking Airsoft pellet gun.

From an article and news video:
Lanehart first was spotted in the Walmart's electronics department. He allegedly was loading up his cart with pricey TVs and notebooks. Instead of paying, he just pushed the cart outside.
"He went past all of the points to pay and was on his way out," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. 
Store security spotted him and brought him back inside for questioning. Police say that's when things got out of hand.
"He grabbed a pair of scissors and threatened to kill the store employees that were trying to detain him," said Bouchard.
Security followed Lanehart outside. Then, Walmart employees witnessed a real shocker. Lanehart's 12-year-old brother stepped out of a car pointing his airsoft gun at employees. The weapon looked like the real deal.
The boy allegedly told security to step back or they would be shot.
"Obviously that child is in a path with a very, very bad ending because of his relatives or whoever he is hanging around with. So hopefully this will be some intervention for the 12-year-old to get him on a different path," said Bouchard. "The 19-year-old has got a lot of serious charges."
Lanehart will be in court on Thursday facing felonious assault and theft charges. The 12-year-old boy was handed over to his parents. He likely will face some charges in juvenile court.
Lanehart was wanted on a domestic violence charge.

Pellet guns aren't toys, and are used often to intimidate, injure, rob, or even kill.

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Woman threatens Walmart employee with gun and pistol whips her

Occurred November, 2013.


Santeri S. Hill, 23, was caught stealing at a Walmart in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  She then came back to the store, threatened an employee with a gun, then beat her in the head with the pistol.

She has now been given a 2-year sentence for the crime.

From an article:
Santeri S. Hill, 23, of the 3700 block of Trace Way, pleaded guilty in February to battery resulting in injury. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, an additional charge of armed robbery was dismissed, according to court documents.

On Friday, Allen Superior Court Judge John Surbeck sentenced Hill to a total of six years on the charge but ordered four years suspended and two years to be served on probation.

In late November, Hill was caught stealing by an employee at a Wal-Mart. She left the store and returned with a gun.

After she came back inside, she threatened to shoot the employee and struck her on the head multiple times with the handgun, according to court documents.
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Texas Walmart robbed at gunpoint

Occurred March 14, 2014.


A man with a handgun robbed a Walmart bank, in Seagoville, Texas. 

From an article:

Police are searching for a male subject suspected of armed robbery Friday at the Woodforest National Bank inside the Seagoville Walmart on U.S. Hwy. 175.
Details are still sparse, but Christine Dykes, support services manager of the Seagoville Police Department, said the single male of unknown race displayed a handgun in the process of robbing the bank just before 1:30 p.m. He was described as wearing a hooded jacket.


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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Shoplifter with gun threatens, then robs, Walmart employee in New Mexico

Occurred February 4, 2014.

(UPDATED -- See below)


A man shoplifted electronics from a Walmart store in Las Cruces, New Mexico.  When a loss-prevention employee tried to stop him, the suspect pulled out a gun, threatened the employee, then stole the employee's cell phone before fleeing.

From an article:
Police learned that a man suspected of walking out of the store without paying for electronic items was approached in the parking lot by a Walmart loss prevention officer. As the employee was on the phone with a 911 operator, the suspect pulled out a gun and threatened the loss prevention officer.
The suspect stole the employee’s cell phone and then fled the parking lot in a white minivan.
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UPDATE (2/5/14):  A 19-year old, Brandon Armando Herrera-Lozoya, has been arrested for the robbery.

Colorado woman shot at by boyfriend behind Walmart Neighborhood Market

Occurred March 4, 2014.


Robert Marquez, 34, and his girlfriend got into an argument, behind a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  He threatened to kill her with a gun, and when she ran from him, he fired at her.

He has now been arrested and charged with several related crimes.  Marquez has a prior arrest record.

From an article:
It was Tuesday afternoon at about 3 when police were called to a report of shots fired at the Walmart Neighborhood Market in the 600 block of North Murray Boulevard. That’s near the intersection of Platte Avenue and Murray Boulevard.
A woman victim told police Marquez, her boyfriend, became upset at her and assaulted her in the car. She said she jumped out of the moving car behind the store to get away from him.
She also said that as she was running she heard what she thought may have been a gunshot. Police said the woman claimed Marquez had threatened her with a gun before she got out of the car.

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Gunmen attempt to rob Alabama Walmart, assault employee, then steal a car

Occurred March 5, 2014.
Scene of armed robbery at Dothan Walmart (source)



Two young men, Darius Crumby, 21, and Nathanial Cox, 22, entered a Walmart store in Dothan, Alabama, and attempted to rob the Walmart by threatening to shoot an employee.  When the employee they were robbing called for help, they hit her, then stole a car in the parking lot.

They were later captured when trying to rob a different Walmart store, in Thomasville, Alabama.

From an article:
Investigators say an unidentified subject confronted a Wal-Mart employee and demanded they give him money or he would shoot another worker. When that employee called for help, the suspect struck them in the face and fled the store.

Investigators say the suspect ran to the parking-lot and confronted a patron who had just exited their vehicle. The suspect took the victims car keys at gunpoint and fled the parking-lot, north on South Oates Street. The vehicle was recovered a short time later in the 2100 block of Ross Clark Circle, with a witness stating the suspect fled in an unknown white passenger car.

Detectives with the Dothan Police Departments Criminal Investigations Bureau were in the early stages of gathering facts to the incident, when they were notified of the arrest of two individuals, for the robbery of a Wal-Mart store in Thomasville, Georgia. Through further investigation, it was determined that the two suspects, now identified as Nathanial Cox and Darius Crumby, were responsible for the robbery of the Dothan, Alabama Wal-Mart.

Cox and Crumby are currently in custody with the Thomasville Police Department, with warrants being obtained for their arrest and extradition back to Dothan.
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Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Police shoot and kill crows in an Idaho Walmart parking lot

Occurred February 3, 2014.


In a move which would seem overkill, and which is causing alarm to citizens and animal rights advocates, police in Caldwell, Idaho have been shooting and killing crows, including in the parking lot of the local Walmart store.

From an article:
Twelve dead crows have been found scattered around a Walmart parking lot in Caldwell, and an animal rights group says it isn't right, especially since Caldwell Police are the ones firing the shots. 
"My concern is killing them when other means could be used," said Toni Hicks, Director of Animals in Distress. 
Hicks is a wildlife rehabilitator, licensed by the state of Idaho since 1987, and argues that there's got to be a better, safer way to get rid of the annoying crows. 
"I really don't feel they need to shoot them," said Hicks. "There's other ways of dealing with nuisance animals."  ... 
Allgood says the public is not in danger. He says trained officers shoot the crows late at night, using real light loads and shooting upwards. Caldwell Police plan to continue this method as long as the crows are a nuisance. 
Idaho Fish and Game officer Charlie Justice says Caldwell Police has the backing of the federal government, and says federal regulations allow police to shoot crows as long as they are proven to be a nuisance and non-lethal means are used first. 
Idaho Fish and Game gave Caldwell Police special permission to shoot crows at night and outside crow hunting season, which runs October 1 to January 31.
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Man fires flare gun in Mississippi Walmart store, starting fire

Occurred March 3, 2014.
Scene of flare gun shooting in Jackson Walmart (source)



Two men in a Walmart store in Jackson, Mississippi, fired a flare gun in the store's clothing section, sparking a fire.  They then fled.  An employee put out the fire with an extinguisher.

A suspect is in custody.

From an article:

A witness told 16 WAPT News that two men were in the clothing section of the store when one of them fired the flare gun. The shot was very loud and produced a lot of smoke, the witness said. 
The two men ran out of the store, jumped into a van and drove off, the witness said. 
A cashier used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames until firefighters arrived, the witness said.  
"The Jackson Fire Department promptly put the small fire out," said police spokeswoman Officer Colendula Green. 
A small amount of merchandise was damaged, but no injuries were reported, Green said. 
The man suspected of firing the flare gun was taken into custody within about an hour, police said.  His name and any charges he may face have not been released. 
The store was closed while police investigated the incident.

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Gunmen rob a man outside a Texas Walmart

Occurred January 19, 2014.


Two men, armed with a gun, robbed a patron in the parking lot of a Walmart store in College Station, Texas.

From an article:

A man called 911 about 7:30 p.m. after two people approached him in the Wal-Mart parking lot, demanding his wallet and cell phone, Sgt. Jimmy Brown wrote in a press release.
The victim said one of the men pointed a gun at him, according to the release, which said both culprits fled on foot after the incident.
The man described both as being about 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a medium build; both are black and were wearing a black jacket with a hood. The victim said one suspect was wearing black pants and the other was wearing tan pants.
Is this the same Walmart where a shoplifter was shot to death, back in 2012?


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Monday, March 3, 2014

Shoplifters threaten employee with handgun in Ohio Walmart

Occurred January 8, 2014.


Three men were caught shoplifting in a Walmart in Columbus, Ohio.  When confronted, they threatened the Walmart employee with a firearm.

From an article:
Employees told police that at about 3:15 a.m. they confronted three people about shoplifting inside the store. At that point, one of the alleged shoplifters threatened the employees with a holstered firearm, according to the report.
The goods taken were not listed.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2014/01/08/2889905/whittlesey-boulevard-walmart-robbed.html#storylink=cpy
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Domestic shooting at a Walmart in Georgia

Occurred March 3, 2014.

(UPDATED -- see below)

A Walmart employee, 43-year-old Pam Garner, was taking a smoke break behind the Walmart store in Fitzgerald, Georgia, when her 69-year old husband, Bob Garner, showed up.  They got into an argument, so Bob pulled out a handgun and shot her, then shot her again as she ran.

She is now recovering. Bob is being arrested.

From an article:
Fitzgerald Police Chief Bill Smallwood told FOX 31 that shortly before 9 a.m., they received a phone call about a shooting that happened behind the store.

43-year-old Pam Garner, an employee at Wal-Mart, employee was behind the store where associates gather for their smoke break, when her husband, 69-year-old Bob Garner, showed up and an argument began.

Chief Smallwood says that is when he shot her, and when she began to run, shot her again. However, she was able to make it back inside the building.

Chief Smallwood says that she was taken to Tift Regional Medical Center with a head wound, but was talking and moving after the incident. She has since been treated and released for her injuries.

Bob Garner has been arrested and charged with five counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and criminal damage to property.
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UPDATE (3/4/14):  The victim was shot with her own gun, which her estranged husband had taken from her.  Pam Garner, is recovering, and has spoken out about her husband.  According to an article:
"He shot me and it went right through my head," said Pam Garner. Garner can't believe she was shot and the accused gunman is her husband, 69 year-old Bob Garner. 
"He cocked it, shot my right arm and luckily it went straight through didn't damage the bone or nothing," said Garner. 
The 43 year-old says she was on a break from her job at Walmart just before 9am Monday morning when he showed up. "He got upset acting and everything and he said well why can't you ever tell me your sorry?" 
Garner says that's when he pulled out her gun, which she says he took from her Sunday night. "And he said well I got something for you. And he reached over to the center console, lifted the latch. I seen the gun and I thought he was emptying or making sure it was empty before he handed it to me at work." 
Then, Garner says, he shot her twice. "I fell in front of his truck and I said to myself, no you're not going to lay here and let him shoot you again. So I got up and I run toward the back of the shop, I heard him shoot at me one more time, but he didn't hit me." 
Fitzgerald Police say Bob Garner, a former Ben Hill County Sheriff's deputy was taken into custody. 
And the shooting might have been captured on security cameras. "Walmart is right now pulling that video cameras and all that they have to see if they got it on camera for us," said Chief William Smallwood with the Fitzgerald Police Department. 
While the investigation is ongoing, Pam Garner is focusing on recovering. 
"Anybody can call it luck. But I had an angel with me," said Garner. 
 And protecting her family. "I don't want him anywhere around me or my family. I don't want my family harmed. He don't need out. He's out of his mind," said Garner. 
Pam and Bob Garner married in 1995, but have been separated for three years.
UPDATE (3/12/14):  A surveillance video has been released for the shooting.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Conceal carry permit holder unintentionally shoots himself at Iowa Sam's Club

Occurred February 26, 2014.


A man with a conceal carry permit was putting his gun in his vehicle, in the parking lot of a Sam's Club in Waterloo, Iowa, when he unintentionally fired it, hitting himself in the butt.  He then drove home, and was persuaded to get medical attention.

From an article:
According to police, 50-year-old David Kugel was removing his handgun to store in his vehicle in the parking lot of Sam’s Club, 210 E. Tower Park Drive, at about 6 p.m. when he weapon fired. The bullet struck Kugel in the buttocks, causing a minor wound, according to the police report. 
Kugel then drove home, where a family member persuaded him to seek medical attention. He was treated at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo. 
Capt. Tim Pillack said Kugel had the proper permit to carrying the weapon.
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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Teenage shoplifter opens fire on shoppers at South Carolina Walmart

Occurred February 23, 2014.
Scene of shooting at Easley Walmart (source)



A 14-year old boy was caught shoplifting at a Walmart store in Easley, South Carolina.  When a loss-prevention chased him out of a store, along with a couple of shoppers, the boy opened fire on those other shopper with a 9 mm handgun.

Luckily no one was hurt.  Officers were already on the scene and arrested the boy.

From an article:
The loss prevention officer had suspected the teen was shoplifting and approached him inside the store, Miller said.
"They were going to question him and call us, so we could take him into custody, but then he pulled out a gun," said Miller.
As the teen ran out of the store, officers heard two gunshots, and people shouting, “He has a gun,” according to Miller.
The teen fired at two innocent bystanders, who tried to help security catch the teen said Miller.  Once outside the store in the parking lot, investigators said the teen turned and fire two shots at those men.
"Nobody was injured," said Miller.  "There was actually a fragment recovered from the wall of Walmart."
Officers were able to catch up to and disarm the teen, who was carrying a 9 mm handgun, according to Miller.
The teen faces two counts of attempted murder, armed robbery and possession of marijuana.  More  charges are pending, Miller said.
"We continue to investigate how the boy got the gun and who drove him to the Walmart," said Miller.
Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.


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Nine assault rifles stolen from Memphis Walmart gun case in two separate robberies

Occurred January 27 and February 11, 2014.


In two separate robberies, suspects entered a Walmart store in Memphis, Tennessee, and took rifles right out of the display case in the gun department, then left the store with them.  In at least one instance, the key to the display case had been attached to the back of the case, in plain sight.

From an article:
A Memphis Police spokeswoman says two rifles were stolen on January 27th. On February 11th, seven more rifles worth a total of $6,400 were stolen.

"Things are constantly getting crazier by the day," Valencia Jones said. "You just wouldn't expect that out here, you would probably expect that somewhere else in another part of town."

According to a police report, a manager told officers that the gun case was new and the keys were stuck to the back of the gun case.

A Walmart spokeswoman says all of the guns and ammunition at the store on the 500 block of Germantown Parkway have been locked up, and customers can purchase them by talking with a manager.

"They need better security on their stuff," Bo Martin said. "There goes the crime rate."
Another article details what model the guns were.  All nine of the rifles were semi-automatic assault rifles:
Stolen were:
Colt M4 Carbine (3)
DPM Panther Arms A-5
Sigsauer 522
Bushmaster XM15-e2s
Sigsauer Sigm400
It has people worried now that the weapons may be on the streets.
One man who heard about the crimes, Jimmy Bloodsworth, said, “That’s terrible! I’d hate to run into someone that has them.” ....
For some, it is raising questions as to whether stores like Walmart should even sell these types of guns.
“I mean, I believe in second amendment rights, but to have guns like that to where they can be stolen and get into the wrong hands…That’s just terrible,” Bloodsworth said.

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