Former Sheriff's deputy fires shotgun into Georgia Walmart store

Occurred November 5, 2014.


A former Richmond County Sheriff's Deputy, Jessie Jackson, was caught firing a shotgun into a Walmart store in Augusta, Georgia, hitting the Garden Center, as well as into a Dollar Store.  Motive is unclear.  He was tased and captured.

The shotgun may have belonged to the Sheriff's Office.

From an article:

We are told Jessie Jackson was arrested early Wednesday morning after he reportedly fired a weapon in the Walmart store located on Deans Bridge Road, in Augusta.

Jackson has been charged with two felony counts: Criminal Damage to Property in the 2nd Degree, and Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Crime.

This incident took place at approximately 3:50 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Jackson was reportedly observed by Richmond County deputies as he fired a 12 gauge shotgun into the garden center area of the store. Jackson then attempted to leave and failed to stop at deputies' commands. Jackson was “tased” to gain compliance and was taken into custody at the scene. ....

Investigators suspected the Remington model 870 .12 gauge shotgun was possibly a Sheriff's Office weapon, and followed up by checking inventory records and utilizing the electronic trace (e-trace) system from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

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Armed robbery with a gun in parking lot of Georgia Walmart

Occurred May 29, 2014.


A man was robbed of cash at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Clayton, Georgia.  One of the three suspects was a felon.  All three were arrested.

No one was injured.

From an article:

Dustin Cabe, 27, of Franklin, N.C., placed a call to Rabun County Dispatch stating three men took an undisclosed amount of cash from him at gunpoint.

Cabe followed the men's vehicle south on Georgia 15 (U.S. 441).

Rabun County sheriff's deputies stopped the vehicle and arrested three people:

* Cameron Gholston, 26, of Toccoa, charged with armed robbery and use of a firearm by a convicted felon during the commission of a crime;

* Madaysha Moorer, 22, of Toccoa, charged with armed robbery; and

* Marcus Quillian, 24, of Toccoa, charged with armed robbery.

The victim's money was recovered following the arrest, according to case agent Lt. Jack Tanksley.

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Man shot and killed by police in Georgia Walmart parking lot

Occurred April 11, 2014.

Scene of shooting at Woodstock Walmart (source)

(UPDATED - See below)
An officer responded to a suspicious person report, in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Woodstock, Georgia.  A conflict ensued, and the officer shot the suspect, killing him.

From an article:

At 9:15 p.m., officers responded to a call about a suspicious person in the parking lot in front of the Wal-Mart on Highway 92 in Woodstock, at the Trickum Road intersection, said Brittany Duncan, spokeswoman for Woodstock Police.

The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said when officers responded to the suspicious person, the situation became threatening, causing the officer to draw his weapon.

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UPDATE (9/24/14):   The man who was shot was named Dennis Doty.  The officer, Jarred Jackson, has been cleared of wrong doing.  Further facts from the case in this article:

On the night of April 11, Doty reportedly was confronting a Walmart delivery driver; however, it was not clear as to whether the conflict was about the child abduction ring accusations. When Jackson arrived, Doty sprinted toward him with the same metal object he was attempting to strike the truck with, according to radio traffic recordings and surveillance video contained in the IA file.

As stated by witnesses and noted in the internal affairs investigation, Jackson ordered Doty to stop and get on the ground several times before drawing his service weapon.

Doty ignored the commands and Jackson fired two shots, hitting him with both rounds, according to the IA file. 

Doty was transported to an area hospital, where he later died.

.

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.

Cross-dresser robs Georgia Walmart at gunpoint

Occurred February 2, 2014.


A man dressed as a woman entered a Walmart store in Athens, Georgia, pulled out a gun, and robbed the store, then fled.

From an article:

“About 12:30 a.m. a tall male dressed as a female used a gun to commit armed robbery at the Walmart in Oconee County,” said Chief Deputy Lee Weems. “He then exited on foot ... we are working some leads and aren’t certain how much cash (he) got away with.”

Weems said it was a cashier the robber approached.

The sheriff’s office issued an alert at about 1 a.m. that deputies were responding to the robbery. The alert described the suspect as “a very tall, skinny black male who was dressed as a woman and wearing a wig. The suspect had on a camo jacket and was carrying a camo purse.”

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Carjacking and kidnapping by armed gunmen at Walmart in Georgia

Occurred December 9, 2013.


A young, female employee was going to her car at a Walmart store in Columbus, Georgia, when two men accosted her with a gun, carjacked her, kidnapped her for a short distance, then stole the vehicle.

Luckily she was unharmed.

From an article:

Police were flagged down by the teen near midnight Tuesday in the parking lot of the 6475 Gateway Road store. She told police that two men threatened her with a pistol, demanding her blue 2006 Ford Escape at about 11:15 p.m. 

She also reported that the men kidnapped her, which under Georgia Code can be committed by anyone who "steals away another person without lawful authority or warrant and holds such other person against his or her will." Since the code states that "slight movement shall be sufficient," the victim could have only been transported a short distance against her will for the charge to apply. 

The details surrounding the victim's alleged kidnapping were not given.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/12/10/2848416/teen-walmart-employee-kidnapped.html#storylink=cpy

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Woman shot at in Georgia Walmart parking lot

Occurred November 13, 2013.


A woman was shot at while in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Columbus, Georgia.  Luckily, there were no injuries.

From an article:

Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly fired a gun at a 29-year-old woman outside the Airport Thruway Walmart, according to a Columbus Police report. 

Officers did not list a description of the suspect, who allegedly opened fire at about 10:30 p.m., Wednesday. 

No injuries were listed.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/11/14/2797650/shots-fired-in-airport-thruway.html#storylink=cpy

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Gun-wielding vigilantes hold shoplifters at bay at Georgia Walmart

Occurred November 8, 2013.


Two drunk men shoplifted meat from a Walmart store in Thomasville, Georgia.  

Two citizens confronted the men in the parking lot, and when they tried to flee, the citizens rammed their car, then held the men at gunpoint until police arrived.  The citizens had conceal carry licenses.

From an article:

Robert Thurman, 38, and Larry King, 27, have been charged with felony shoplifting. 

Police said the suspects tried to escape by car Thursday night, but two citizens in the parking lot used their own vehicles to corral the men. The suspects tried to drive off, but the citizens rammed their vehicle, disabling it. 

Then, the suspects got out of the car, and the citizens held them at gunpoint until the police could arrest them, police said. No one was injured. 

Both citizens were armed with licensed weapons, said Wade Glover, a commander with the Thomasville Police Department. 

Glover said the suspects were intoxicated.

Thomasville is also the scene of a shooting and attempted homicide at a Walmart store in April, 2012.

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Shot fired by onlooker during shoplifter chase at Georgia Walmart

Occurred October 30, 2013.


A man fired a gun in the air in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Savannah, Georgia, apparently thinking he was helping officials who were, at that moment, chasing a shoplifter.

From an article:

Two people have been detained near a west Chatham County Wal-Mart after a private citizen fired a gunshot while officials were pursuing a shoplifting suspect. 

The suspected shoplifter was detained by officers following the pursuit, said Eunicia Baker, police spokeswoman. Savannah-Chatham police have also detained the person who fired the gunshot, she said. 

No one was injured by the gunshot, Baker said. No further information about the incident was immediately available.

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Man robbed at gunpoint at Georgia Walmart

Occurred September 11, 2013.


Two men robbed a man at gunpoint at a Walmart in Marietta, Georgia.

From an article:

On Sept. 6, at around 1:45 a.m. two men approached the victim in the parking lot of the Walmart.  One perpetrator produced a handgun and robbed the victim.   

Both perpetrators fled on foot. 

The two men shown in the attached photos are being sought as persons of interest. Both subjects are described as black males in their early- to mid- twenties.  

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Carjacking at gunpoint by four teen gang members at a Georgia Walmart

Occurred July 6, 2013.

Scene of armed carjacking at Peachtree City Walmart

Four teen boys, one aged 14, the others 16, who were apparently in a street gang, carjacked a woman at a Walmart store in Peachtree City, Georgia.  Luckily, the female victim was not injured.

The teens then ran through a police checkpoint with the stolen car and a chase ensued.  The driver crashed the car and was arrested.  The other three teens escaped, but were eventually tracked down and arrested as well.

From an article and video (which gives names of suspects):

Three teenagers – all 16 years of age – are also under arrest in connection with the armed carjacking that happened in front of the Walmart last Saturday afternoon. 

Peachtree City police say the Zaviaire Baitley, of Atlanta, approached a shopper around 2:30 p.m. at the Walmart on Georgia Highway 54 and stole their car at gunpoint. Baitley then sped off in the vehicle. 

Officers responding to the scene set up a perimeter at the major intersections of the city. Minutes later, police located Baitley driving the stolen vehicle traveling northbound on Highway 74 from Highway 54, police said.  

Baitley refuses to stop at a checkpoint and a police went after the stolen car. 

A high-speed chase caught on video, and exclusively obtained by FOX 5 News, shows the suspect weaving in and out of traffic and running stop signs and red lights.  

Baitley avoided Stop Sticks deployed by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office in the area of Hwy. 74 at Milam Road, continuing northbound on Hwy 74.  From I-85 northbound, the pursuit continued on Interstate I-285.   

Police say Baitley was involved in a motor vehicle collision while exiting the interstate at the intersection of Cascade Road and I-285, in Fulton County, where he was taken into custody. 

Police worked through the night to try to find Baitley's accomplices. They caught up with two of them --Demetrious Watson and Nathan Gullatte, both of Palmetto. 

All four teens are charged with armed robbery, hijacking a motor Vehicle and participation in a criminal street gang. Baitley, in addition to the above charges, faces felony attempt to elude, numerous traffic charges and illegal drug possession.  

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Armed Robbery at Walmart in Georgia

Occurred June 9, 2013.


According to a crime blotter for Snellville, Georgia, for June 9:

• Robbery with a gun at a business was reported at 1550 Scenic Highway (Walmart).

But I couldn't find further details.

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Man and woman armed robbers hold up Georgia Walmart before being caught

Occurred April 11, 2013.

A man and a woman, Shane Neal Durden, 33, and Amber Michelle Smith, 23, used a gun to rob a Walmart in Loganville, Georgia, before escaping.  A chase with police ensued, until the duo crashed their car and, after a short manhunt, were apprehended.  This was the last of a string of armed robberies that they are suspected of committing.

From an article:

Police officers were initially called for a shoplifting incident at the Loganville Walmart but the suspect reportedly pulled a gun on a Walmart employee and escaped in a car. 

 The suspects led officers on a chase from Walton County, through Rockdale County and into DeKalb County before wrecking along Pleasant Hill Road near Highway 124 in DeKalb around 3pm. 

The female suspect, Amber Michelle Smith, 23, of Loganville, was apprehended at the crash site. The male suspect, Shane Neal Durden, 33, also of Loganville, ran into the woods and was apprehended behind houses in a subdivision between Pleasant Hill Road and Union Grove Road four hours later following a brief foot pursuit. 

Authorities from the DeKalb Police Department, Gwinnett Police Department, Rockdale County Sheriff's Office, Walton County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service began a manhunt in DeKalb, using K9 units and helicopters, for the male suspect. 

The duo face charges including armed robbery, weapons violations and aggravated assault in several counties, including Rockdale, Walton and DeKalb.

Another article describes some of the other crimes Durden was wanted for, including shooting a man twice in the chest.

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Armed robbery at Georgia Walmart

Occurred April 4, 2013.

Armed robbery in progress at Dunwoody Walmart

A man brandishing a silver handgun, and wearing a wig, robbed the money center at the Dunwoody, Georgia Walmart.  He was caught by police soon after, hiding in the woods next to the store.

From an article:

The Dunwoody Police Department has arrested 29-year-old Alphonzo Eddy of East Point in connection with an armed robbery at the Walmart at 4725 Ashford Dunwoody Road Thursday morning. 

At approximately 8:40 a.m., Dunwoody Police responded to the armed robbery. A black male suspect, wearing a dreadlock-styled wig, entered that location and purchased a money order from the money center. 

When the cashier opened the register, the suspect proceeded around the counter, brandished a silver in color handgun, and removed approximately $2,000 from the register before fleeing the store. 

When officers arrived on scene, a witness advised the suspect was seen running into an adjacent wooded area. Officers immediately set up a perimeter around the area while other officers were able to track and apprehend a suspect found lying within the wooded area. The suspect was found with several items related to the crime in his possession including the handgun, wig, and money stolen from Walmart. 

Eddy has been charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and theft by taking.

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Man shot and another robbed at gunpoint at Georgia Walmart

Occurred January 12, 2013.

Two male assailants shot a man in the leg, in the parking lot of a Walmart outside of Lilburn, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.  Then they accosted another man, robbing him at gunpoint of his wallet, cell phone, and his car.

From an article:

The suspects, both black males, were armed with a semi-automatic handgun, possibly a .40 calibre Glock, according to a police statement. 

They approached two separate shoppers in the parking lot, shooting one, a 35-year-old male, in the leg when "he did not understand their demands and continued to walk towards the store," the report said. 

The other victim, a 20-year-old male, handed over his keys, wallet and cell phone. The suspects took his car and left the scene. That vehicle is described as a blue 2010 Honda Fit with Georgia tag PFE8356. 

The incident happened just outside Lilburn at the Walmart located at 1825 Rockbridge Road in Stone Mountain. 

Gwinnett Police reviewed Walmart security footage and found that the assailants arrived in a red Honda Civic that had been taken in a carjacking Friday in Atlanta. It was located at the shopping center and impounded.  

The shooting victim was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. Gwinnett County Police are asking for anyone with information about this crime to call  770-513-5700.

This is the fourth shooting at a Walmart so far in 2013, and it's only been the first two weeks of the year!

(an additional article with more details on these incidents)

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Argument turns into shooting at Walmart in Georgia

Occurred September 25, 2012.

Three men got into an argument in a Walmart parking lot in Stockbridge, Georgia.  One pulled out a gun and shot another in the abdomen.  The victim survived.  The other two men fled the scene.

From an article:

Henry police spoke with the male victim, who suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound in the abdomen, Sgt. Joey Smith said.# 

“Evidently, he and two others had met with individuals in the parking lot when a dispute occurred,” Smith said. “One person has been confirmed shot. The victim was transported to Atlanta Medical Center and is in surgery with non-life threatening injuries. Detectives are currently interviewing possible witnesses and are preparing to interview the victim once he is out of surgery.”

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Man with conceal carry permit unintentionally fires gun in Georgia Walmart

Scene of accidental shooting at Albany Walmart

Occurred August 6, 2012.

A man shopping in an Albany, Georgia Walmart with a loaded handgun was asked by another shopper about his gun. He then prepared to hand the gun to the other shopper when he unintentionally fired the weapon. Thankfully no one was injured.

No charges were filed.  The shooter got to keep his gun and conceal carry license.

From an article:

"It was a potentially dangerous situation. Fortunately, it turned out not to be," said APD Media Manager Phyllis Banks. 

A police report says 37-year-old Chris Garcia was carrying a loaded Springfield Armory XD 9 mm when another customer asked to see the gun. 

He pulled it out of his holster in the sporting goods section and when he tried to clear the gun it went off. 

"It was considered an accident, but we want to stress if you carry your weapon, that you utilize all safety precautions," said Banks. 

Garcia did have a permit to carry a gun. He was issued a citation for discharging a firearm within city limits. 

Customers we talked to say they're ok with people being allowed to carry guns, but if you do, be careful with them. 

"Sometimes there are kids in Walmart and other people who are afraid of guns. I think he should have been very careful," said Tammy Harris. 

Albany Police remind folks of the firearms training class they have available to teach people how to use a firearm properly. 

Police made Garcia unload his weapon and was given back his gun.

(a related blog posting)

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Shots fired in Georgia Walmart parking lot

Crime scene at Savannah Walmart

Occurred June 2, 2012.

Shots were fired in a Walmart parking lot in Savannah, Georgia, and two cars sped off in opposite directions.

From an article:

Savannah-Chatham police responded to reports of a shooting Saturday night in the parking lot of Walmart on Ogeechee Road. 

Police spokesman Julian Miller said late Saturday night that shots were fired and that two cars sped off in opposite directions.  

Police were unsure if anyone was hurt, as there was no injured person at the scene, and are continuing to investigate. 

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