Guns stolen from Arkansas Walmart on day after Christmas

Occurred December 26, 2014.

Scene of stolen guns at Helena Walmart (source)

On the day after Christmas, thieves entered the Walmart store in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas (Walmart's home state), while the store was closed for business.  There they smashed a display case with a hammer and stole four guns, as well as some electronic goods, and fled.

The article does not state what kind of guns were stolen.  Walmart sells assault rifles and hunting rifles.

From an article and news video:

Police report several guns were taken as well as a number of iPods, iPads and iPhones.

The store, on Shelia Street in Helena-West Helena,  is usually opened 24-hours but it was closed Christmas and wasn’t scheduled to re-open till 9 a.m. the following day.

It’s believed the break-in happened just after 2:00 a.m. on the 26th.

Eli Moore, who shops at the Walmart regularly, is very concerned even though the burglary happened while the store was closed.

“I come out here and shop at Walmart all the time, you know. My wife told me, ‘you don’t need to go out there at night.’ So, with this happening here it’s got me scared to come out here now,” said Eli Moore.

According to Helena-West Helena Police, a glass display case in the sporting goods section was smashed and four guns were taken.

In the electronics section two cases were broken, and police reportedly found a hammer and drops of blood near the shattered glass.

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Walmart employee shoots another in an Arkansas Walmart store

Occurred February 2, 2014.

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.

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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.'”

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Man unintentionally shot with shotgun by toddler son in Arkansas Walmart parking lot

Occurred November 2, 2013.


A man, Monty Wheeler, was in his truck in the parking lot of a Walmart in Russellville, Arkansas, when his toddler son climbed up the driver's side door and, unintentionally, pulled the trigger on a loaded, unsecured shotgun.  The gun discharged, striking Wheeler in the back.  The child was unharmed.  Wheeler is in stable condition.

From an article:

According to Public Information Officer Drew Latch, police responded to a call in the Arkansas Walmart parking lot at 11:04 a.m. on Saturday. When officers arrived, they found a man, identified as Monty Wheeler, who had been shot in the back. 

Upon further investigation, officers determined that the man had actually been shot by his child, age unknown, who attempted to enter his father’s truck by scaling up the driver’s side. The child accidentally grabbed hold of an unsecured and loaded shotgun, which discharged and struck his father in the back. 

Wheeler was transported to a local hospital and is said to be in stable condition.

Remember, every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

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Wanted robber shot dead by police in Arkansas Walmart parking lot

Occurred July 3, 2013.

Scene of shooting at Rockport Walmart

Brandon Rennie Turner, 34, had just robbed a convenience store in Hot Spring County, Arkansas.  He was already a wanted man for robbery and attempted robbery, and was a high-risk sex offender.

He was spotted by police and pulled over in the parking lot of a Walmart supercenter in Rockport, Arkansas, just outside of Malvern, Arkansas.

A shootout occurred between Turner and the police officers, and Turner was killed.

From an article:

It was a normal Wednesday morning at the Wishbone General Store until Turner walked through the door.  

"While I had my back turned, he had cocked the gun like he was ready to shoot," explains store clerk Blanca Carrillo. She says as she handed over money from the cash register, a customer walked into the store. 

"He pretty much saved my life. If he wouldn't have came in he would have shot me," Carrillo says.  

After robbing the Wishbone, and leaving behind a terrified clerk, police say Turner took off down Highway 84 toward Malvern.  

After the robbery, officers were told to be on the lookout for Turner and his white Toyota Tacoma 4x4.  

He was also wanted for attempted murder and robbery in Hot Springs, and police say Turner was also a high risk sex offender.  

When Rockport Police stopped Turner in the Walmart parking lot near Malvern, police say he fired a shot at an officer.  

That's when police say the officer fired three times and Turner was killed. 

(a related article)

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Police fire on man with realistic-looking toy gun in parking lot of Arkansas Walmart

Occurred June 12, 2013.

Scene of shooting at Springdale Walmart

UPDATED -- See below

Police were called to a report of a suspicious person in the parking lot a Walmart Neighborhood Market store in Springdale, Arkansas.  The man pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at officers, who then fired upon the man.  The shots hit the man's van.

The man then barricaded himself in the van, along with a menagerie of chickens, ducks, and parakeets, until police were able to get him out and arrest him.

From an article:

Springdale Police officers arrested 40-year-old Rainbow Kilo Rasphoumy following a stand-off and officer-involved shooting at a Walmart Neighborhood Market. 

A Springdale officer fired seven shots at the suspect during the stand-off at the parking lot of a Walmart Neighborhood Market, according to Peters. The shots hit the van, but did not injure Rasphoumy, according to the news release.  

Police said Wednesday morning at 7:47 a.m. dispatchers received a report about a suspicious person in a van located at Robinson Avenue and Butterfield Coach Rd.  

When officers attempted a traffic stop, the van pulled into the parking lot of a neighborhood market on Butterfield Coach Rd and Hwy 412. While he was cooperative with officers at first, police said he ran back to the van and barricaded himself inside.  

According to the release, Police used a taser after Rasphoumy tried to kick officers. He then pointed what appeared to be a handgun towards the officers, Peters said.  

The SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called to the scene. After Rasphoumy surrendered, Peters said police discoverd the handgun was a black plastic toy gun.
Officers also found three parakeets, three chickens and two ducks.  

There will be an internal investigation and the officer who fired the shots is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is department policy. 

A related news article with video.

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UPDATE (6/15/13):  More details have emerged on the encounter (bolding added):

Rasphoumy is scheduled to appear in the same court on July 12 for an arraignment to enter a plea. 

Police said he pointed a toy gun at officers June 12 outside the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 3553 E. Robinson Ave. in Springdale before barricading himself in a van. An officer fired seven shots, with each shot hitting the van, police said. 

At 7:47 a.m. on June 12, police said Rasphoumy’s niece called and said he had been outside her home for about an hour. She said the man had mental problems and often bothers her, according to a 911 call. 

Police said she provided a description of his van, which officers later tried to stop at Robinson Avenue and Butterfield Coach Road, authorities said. Police said he pulled into the Walmart parking lot. 

Rasphoumy got out of the van at the officer’s request, according to a police report, but soon became uncooperative and got back in the vehicle. 

Police said he grabbed an object similar to a flute and raised it above his hands as if he were going to hit the officers. The police report states Rasphoumy attempted to kick the officers, and they used a Taser on him, but that did not stop him. 

Rasphoumy pulled what appeared to be a handgun on them, police said. Officers attempted take cover, but while on the move, one officer fired seven shots at the van, the report states. 

Rasphoumy was not hit. He barricaded himself in the van, eyewitnesses said. No one else was in the van, police said. 

Rasphoumy was taken into custody about 9 a.m. after talking with police negotiators, authorities said. 

Investigators told 5NEWS they recovered a black plastic toy gun that resembled a snub-nose revolver, three chickens, two ducks and three parakeets from the van. The birds were all alive, officials said. 

Investigators later recovered a a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, an ax and other weapons from the van, according to police.

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Teens shoot realistic-looking BB gun at Walmart employee in Arkansas

Occurred June 6, 2013.


An employee was accosted by two teens in an Arkansas Walmart, both armed with guns.  Fearing for his life, the employee started to get down when one of the teens fired.  Luckily, the guns were realistic-looking BB guns.

The teens were caught, but allowed to leave without reprimand.

From a blog post by the employee:

I was in the sporting good section by myself or so it seemed. As I rounded the corner, what appeared to be a rifle was pointed in my direction. A teenager was pointing a gun at me. I stopped and froze. Then he said something. I did not understand what he said, but I heard a voice reply to him and I turned around to see another teenager with a gun. Both were pointed at me. I started to drop to the ground and one of them shot the gun. Then they both dropped their guns and ran away.  

A Wal-Mart employee came around the corner and asked me if I saw who shot the gun. I nodded and pointed. My heart was racing. I could barely move. I heard the employee ask the boys but they both said they did not do it and SHE LET THEM LEAVE.  

I did find out that these were BB guns.  .... 

*shaking my head* I cannot believe those kids did not get reprimanded or kicked out or anything. They just got away with opening up, taking BB guns out of boxes and then shooting them. 

The employee nonetheless continued to feel troubled by the incident.

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Man pulls concealed weapon in response to altercation at checkout in an Arkansas Walmart

Occurred May 15, 2013.


A shopper in a Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Walmart became impatient with how long it was taking the customer in front of him to check out, so he hit him.  The other customer then pulled out a concealed handgun and threatened him with it.

Panic ensued among shoppers.

An off-duty policeman who was shopping responded, initially confusing the two men.

From an article:

One suspect was in custody on battery charges Wednesday evening after an alleged altercation at the Walmart Supercenter in Pine Bluff.

The suspect is accused of hitting the person in front of him in line, Pine Bluff Police Department spokeswoman Regina VonTungeln said. He had become impatient and thought the other customer was taking too long. 

The other man involved in the incident allegedly pulled out a gun in response to being hit, but he had a concealed weapon carry license and was released pending further investigation, VonTungeln said. The names of those involved in the incident were not available Wednesday evening.
 

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