Argument leads to shootout at Alabama Walmart, with two people injured

Occurred January 14, 2015.

Scene of shooting at Montgomery Walmart (source)

An argument between two men inside of a Walmart store in Montgomery, Alabama, was taken outside into the parking lot, at which time the two men pulled out guns and began shooting at each other.  Several cars were hit.  A little girl was almost hit.

A female bystander was shot in the back with a non-life-threatening injury.

The shooting ended when one of the men, 21-year-old Carlton Webb, was injured with a life-threatening wound.  He was later upgraded to stable before being released and charged.

From an article:

Webb was arrested and charged Monday after being released from an area hospital, authorities say. He was recovering from a gunshot wound sustained in the incident. Court documents indicate Webb was released on $45,000 bond.

Police say an uninvolved adult female who was in her vehicle during the dispute sustained a non-life-threatening injury. ....

Montgomery Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Martha Earnhardt says the shooting happened after a dispute inside the store that involved several people. The fight was carried out into the parking lot where the shooting took place.

Stunned shoppers stood with their carts and bags as police cars filled the parking lot and a large crime scene area was roped off. 

For Anna Leonard, an expectant mother, her trip to pick up some groceries at the store Wednesday evening turned into a scary ordeal.

“I have my 3-year-old with me and I'm due Tuesday," Leonard explained. "Who wants to be going through all of this? It's just crazy. I've never been through anything like this,” she said.

Shantana Jones says many customers ran for cover when they heard the gunfire out in the front parking lot. She believed the female victim was walking out to her car and was caught in the crossfire.

“Two guys were shooting and she ended up getting shot in the back in the process,” Jones said. “There was a lot of people in the back of the store. We were still walking around because I didn't know what was going on so then they came on the intercom and told everyone to go to the back of the store.”

As gunfire erupted in the parking lot, John Parks' granddaughter was waiting for him in the car when it was hit by a bullet. Windows on other vehicles in the parking lot appeared to have been shattered in the melee.

“She was sitting in the back seat and the back glass, the door, got shot out right beside her. Luckily, the bullet didn't hit her. The glass was completely out and she was all nervous and upset,” Parks said.

This is not the first shooting at this Walmart.  Last October, a shoplifter shot a police officer at that store and was captured after a long manhunt.

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Officer shot by shoplifter inside Alabama Walmart

Occurred October 5, 2014.

Scene of shooting at Montgomery Walmart (source)

Matthew Lawrencereno Wright, 31, was caught shoplifting in a Walmart in Montgomery, Alabama.  Police officers responded and confronted Wright in the store.

When Wright refused to obey verbal commands, Officer Robert Hubbard shot Wright with a taser, but the taser didn't work.  Wright then shot the officer in the neck and arm and fled the store.  He then carjacked a vehicle in the parking lot.

The officer is recovering.

Wright was eventually arrested in Louisiana after a car chase, another carjacking, and getting shot by police.

From an article:

Wal-Mart security personnel notified Montgomery police of a man observed stealing merchandise from the store at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Earnhardt said.

Store personnel didn't approach the suspect, she said. Officer Hubbard responded to the Wal-Mart seven minutes from receiving the call.

"The officer had given him verbal commands," Earnhardt said. "He confronted (Wright) in the store and attempted to take him into custody when the suspect took out a gun and fired."

Hubbard deployed his Taser in an attempt to subdue Wright with no success, she said.
"The investigation indicates that (Wright's) clothing was layered so it didn't penetrate," Earnhardt said.

Police haven't released where in the store the shooting took place.

Earnhart said Hubbard was shot twice, but she didn't know if other gunshots were discharged in the store.

No store employees or customers were injured, she said.

Additional details in another article explain the dramatic capture and shooting of the suspect.
 
HERE is an article describing events from the viewpoint of the carjacking victim.

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Deputy wounds drug dealer in Alabama Walmart parking lot

Occurred May 9, 2014.

Scene of shooting at Birmingham Walmart (source)

A sheriff's deputy broke up a drug deal in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Birmingham, Alabama, when one of the suspects tried to run him over.  The deputy then fired at the driver, hitting him.

From an article and news video:

Chief Deputy Randy Christian with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says 21-year-old Devante Kyshon Hinds of Birmingham was fleeing the scene of a drug deal deputies had just broken up when he tried to run over a deputy with a car.  The deputy opened fire, hitting Hinds. The incident took place shortly after 9 p.m. in the parking lot of Walmart on Parkway East.

Investigators have been able to confirm through evidence and questioning that the others involved in the drug deal were meeting Hughes to buy heroin, and that the deputies were justified in the shooting, according to Christian.

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Off-duty officer shoots wanted man in Alabama Walmart parking lot

Occurred April 15, 2014.

Scene of Huntsville Walmart shooting (source)

(UPDATED -- See below)
An off-duty Sheriff's deputy was in a Walmart store in Huntsville, Alabama, when he observed a wanted felon with warrants against him.  He confronted the man, David Horton, and Horton ran into the busy parking lot.  The deputy gave chase, then shot Horton in the buttocks.

The deputy claimed the shooting was an accident, but witnesses claim he squared up and fired intentionally.

From an article:

Authorities reported a Morgan County deputy discharged his weapon at a south Huntsville Walmart while trying to apprehend a suspect who had felony warrants.

The shooting happened at the Walmart located on South Memorial Parkway near Hobbs Road at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Huntsville police said the suspect was shot in the buttock near the Garden Center.

Relatives identified the man shot by the deputy as David Horton. He was taken to Huntsville Hospital to be treated for his injuries and then later transferred to the custody of the Morgan County Sheriff's Department. 

Witnesses said the deputy intentionally fired his weapon, but the deputy claimed otherwise. The deputy said he was trying to apprehend Horton, known to have violated parole, when his gun accidentally went off.

Investigators said they are hoping to get some clarity through surveillance footage, which gave them a bird's eye view of the shooting. Huntsville police said they are handling the case and are reviewing the video. They spent the day interviewing witnesses who saw what happened.

One witness said he saw the off-duty deputy aim and shoot. The deputy claims his gun fired accidentally.

No bystanders were injured in the shooting. Alberta Conley, a Madison County resident, was asked if she felt safe shopping there after the allegedly accidental shooting. "I am not afraid whenever we come here, but we always like to be aware of what's going," she said. "Things like this can happen anywhere.

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UPDATE (4/18/14):  The off-duty officer has now been arrested for the shooting and has resigned.

UPDATE (5/8/14):  A lawyer for David Horton announced that Horton is seeking damages.  From an article:

"This incident should have never happened," [Lawyer Tommy] James said. "While my client did have an outstanding probation violation pickup order, that in no way justified an off-duty deputy not in uniform, from another county, to shoot my client at a crowded Walmart."

"The law in Alabama clearly states that a law enforcement officer may only use deadly force if he or others are in imminent threat of harm. That was obviously not the case here as my client was grabbed by the deputy, who did not identify himself or show his badge, and was then shot in the back while trying to get away. The use of deadly force was clearly unjustified in this case and as a result my client was injured and many bystanders, including children, were put at severe risk."

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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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Gun stolen from vehicle in Alabama Walmart parking lot

Occurred July 9, 2013.


From the police blotter for Huntsville, Alabama:

Sparkman Drive: A Glock 9mm semiautomatic handgun was stolen out of a vehicle at Walmart at 10 p.m. Sunday.

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Man commits suicide at Alabama Walmart gas station

Scene of suicide at Hartselle Walmart gas station

Occurred August 12, 2012.

A man was reported as intoxicated at a Walmart gas station in Hartselle, Alabama.  When police arrived to investigate, the man pulled out a handgun and shot himself to death.

From an article:

One man is dead after he shot himself near the Walmart on Highway 31 Sunday afternoon. 

Huntsville Police said they responded to the Fuel Dock gas station at the Walmart in Hartselle where a man was intoxicated. When police approached the car, the man pulled out a gun and shot himself. 

He was taken to Decatur General where he died. His name have not been released.

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