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.

At least two shootings have also occurred in Memphis-area Walmart stores, injuring three people.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Teen girl and a security guard injured in shooting at Memphis Walmart

Scene of shooting at Memphis Walmart Neighborhood Market

Occurred February 18, 2013.

A teen party was being held at the Zodiac restaurant and lounge, at night, across from a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Memphis, Tennessee, when around 300 of the teens were turned out of the club.  From an article:

“When we reached capacity, we had our courtesy officers to tell every child to leave our lot, call their rides or whatever they needed to do. We are just trying to give back to the community and we are giving them something to do,” said manager at Zodiac Restaurant and Lounge Anita Poplar.

Several dozen of those teens then went over the to Walmart store, where there were then reports of "looting and vandalizing" of the store by the teens.

Then shots were fired inside the Walmart store.  When police responded, they found a 16-year old girl shot in the leg, and a 21-year old security guard shot and injured.

A 16-year old boy was caught with a rifle, and another was arrested for disorderly conduct and evading arrest.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Police shoot unarmed shoplifter in Memphis Walmart

Occurred March 28, 2013.

Scene of shooting at Memphis Walmart

A suspected shoplifter was confronted by an off-duty officer working security at a Memphis, Tennessee Walmart, as well as two on-duty officers.  

A struggle ensued, the suspect turned, and one of the officers thought he had a gun and shot him.  

The victim was unarmed.  He is now in critical condition.

From an article:

Around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night, an off-duty officer working Walmart security followed a man suspected of shoplifting out of the store. He flagged down two on-duty cops. 

Police said as they tried to arrest him the suspected shoplifter fought back, spun, and reached for his waistband as if going for a gun. 

That is when one of the three cops shot him once. Armstrong confirms there was not gun on the suspect. 

Investigators said the man is at The MED in critical condition. The man's family declined to comment about the incident.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Walmart stores see an increase in shootings for at least the third year in a row

Shootings at Walmart stores have increased for at least the third year in a row.

Here at the Walmart Shootings blog, I have dutifully chronicled every media report of gun crimes committed at Walmart properties.  In 2014, there were at least 92 shooting incidents, leaving 16 people dead and 42 injured.  This is up from 2013, where there were 83 shootings, leaving 24 killed and 42 injured -- an increase of over 10%.  In 2012, there were "only" 53 shootings.

There are entire countries that have fewer shootings than just Walmart stores in America!

Of course, these represent only those shooting incidents which were reported to the police, then reported by the media in a way that it was caught by Google Alerts or to friends who alerted me.  Likely there were some that slipped through.

See the graph, to the right, which shows the shooting reports in a cumulative fashion over the course of all three years.

But there were also plenty of gun crimes where shots weren't fired.  There were 78 armed robberies and shopliftings by gunmen at Walmart properties.  Gunmen threatened shoppers and employees with guns, carjacked shoppers, and had accidents with their guns.

Walmart remains the largest retail seller of civilian guns in the world.  But in at least 19 incidents this year, guns were stolen from their display cases at Walmart stores, including assault rifles, like this case in Memphis where nine assault rifles were stolen, or this case in Tennessee where six assault rifles and another gun were stolen.

Walmart continues to allow customers to carry concealed or openly-displayed guns in their stores.  Does this make customers and employees safer?  Not at all.  In 2014, people with conceal carry permits caused 11 incidents, including many shootings of themselves and others, including the most recent case of a very pro-gun mother who allowed her two year old to get into her special gun-purse and fire the unsecured weapon, killing the mother in front of the toddler and three of her other children. 

There were four cases ruled as self-defense at Walmart stores.  But before the gun guys jump on these as evidence of making us "safer," consider that one of these cases was during an illegal drug sale. Another was by a man who got into an argument and shot the unarmed victim as he walked to the car, fearing that the other man was going for a gun.  He got off by using Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which only requires a person to claim they were afraid.  In a third case, the victim was also unarmed, and the two men had gotten into a fight, and the shooter had continued the confrontation prior to shooting the other man.  Only one case involved a man who was simply minding his own business and shot at an armed robber, after the robber was fleeing.

And it's not just Walmart shoppers who are endangered, threatened, and killed by gunmen at their stores.  Walmart employees have been the victims of incidents in at least 14 incidents in 2014, plus many other robberies.  In at least three incidents, Walmart employees were the suspects in shootings!

Where are Walmart's priorities?  Is it gun sales?  Or is it the protection of their shoppers and employees?  Clearly, they aren't interested in the safety of those who are in their stores!

Walmart bans all sorts of things in their stores that they deem "dangerous," including pregnant Barbie dolls, CDs with unwanted lyrics, and various books.  They stopped allowing paring knives in their bakeries after a single incident.  This Christmas, they even kicked out some high schoolers who were caroling in the store!  But Walmart has no problem continuing to sell guns, including five different models of assault rifles, and allowing people to carry guns through their stores.

Perhaps thinking about all of this, one sensitive Walmart employee refused to process a wedding photo for a couple posing with their shotgun.  Oh, never mind....  A Walmart spokesman quickly told media that the employee had been "misinformed."

With so many shootings and other gun crimes at their stores, it's not surprising they are trying to hide it from stockholders, refusing to bring up the issue in any official manner or at stockholder meetings.  We wouldn't want to allow blood on the store floors to distract from gun profits, would we?  Little wonder, then, that a major stockholder had to sue Walmart for the right to bring up the gun issue at stockholder meetings.  If the deaths of shoppers and employees aren't enough to convince the Waltons to change their pro-gun policies, perhaps money will?

This is why Walmart's motto "Save money. Live better" isn't appropriate.  Instead, it should be.....

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.