Robber fires shot in California Walmart

Occurred November 23, 2013.

Scene of shooting in San Diego Walmart
(screenpic from video at source)

A man with a gun held up cashiers at a Walmart store in San Diego, California.  When one of them didn't work fast enough to get him the money, he fired a shot in the air.  He then fled with money from the other cash register.

Luckily no one was hurt.  The robber got a way.

From an article:

A heavyset black man in a dark, hooded jacket walked into the store off College Grove way about 6:25 p.m., went behind the service center counter and ordered two clerks there to open their cash registers, Rorrison said. 

One cashier did so, but when the other one couldn’t get her register open, the robber fired his pistol toward the ceiling. He grabbed money from the one register and left the store. 

Rorrison said customers ran in all directions when they heard the shot. Two security guards ran outside after the robber, but lost sight of him.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Shooter tracked to Ohio Walmart and shot to death by SWAT

Occurred November 22, 2013.

Scene of fatal shooting at Columbus Walmart (source)

47-year old Danny Thornton knocked on a door at a home in Grove City, Ohio, and then shot a 9-year old boy, Jaiden Dixon, in the face.  Jaiden had been preparing to leave for school in the morning when he opened the door.  Two other boys, ages 17 and 18, were at the home as well.

Thornton then went to a dental office, where he shot his ex-girlfriend.

A SWAT team caught up to Thornton at the Columbus, Ohio, Walmart and a shootout occurred.  When the bullets stopped flying, Thornton was dead, and a SWAT team member was injured.

The boy, Jaiden, is on life support until his organs can be donated, according to his family.

The ex-girlfriend is now in critical condition.

Thornton's motive for the shootings, or why he fled to Walmart, have not been released.

From an article, which has pictures of Thornton and 9-year old Jaiden:

Around 9:45 a.m., he was tracked to a location near Morse and Stelzer Roads at a Walmart across from Easton Town Center. 

As police moved in, they say Thornton fired. 

"Once they moved in, the suspect exited his car, with a handgun in his hand; raised it towards the officers and that's when the shots were fired," said Sgt. Rich Weiner, CPD. "We don't have to wait for the suspect to fire. If he raises that weapon in a threatening manner, the officers can go ahead and use deadly force." 

Thornton was killed in the exchange. 

A SWAT officer was shot in the abdomen and hip area during the exchange of gunfire. 

Police said Officer Steve Smith was the man injured in the shootout with Thornton. Officials say the 24 year veteran of the force is being kept for observation and is in good spirits. Two other SWAT officers were also involved in the shooting but not injured. 

Jaiden Dixon is in critical condition at Nationwide Children's Hospital. His mother and brother were at the home but not injured in the shooting. His mother has posted on Facebook that the family that Jaiden is being kept on life support to donate his organs.

From another article, identifying the female victim and stating that the Walmart store remained open after the incident:

After shooting the boy, investigators believe Thornton traveled to Mark A. Pitts D.D.S. at 4409 Crossroads Center, where he shot employee Vicki Vertin in the office's lobby. Vertin was taken to Grant Medical Center in critical condition. 

A relative of Vertin told ABC 6/FOX 28 the victim was the mother of one of Thornton's children. 

Several Columbus and Grove City schools were locked down as police searched for Thornton, 47, who was traveling in a Toyota Camry. That car was eventually spotted in the Walmart parking lot, at which time SWAT officers were sent to the area. 

Police have not released specific details about the shootout, which occurred at approximately 11 a.m. 

Customers were allowed to enter and exit Walmart after Thornton was declared dead, but drivers were prohibited from removing their cars from the parking lot until police completed their examination at approximately 2 p.m. 

Police have not released a possible motive for the alleged shooting spree. Thornton's criminal record includes a 1985 charge of felonious assault, and a 1992 indictment for carrying a concealed weapon. He spent four days in jail in 2007 after failing to appear in court.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

UPDATE (7/25/14):   9-year old victim, Jaiden Dixon, has his organs donated.  A little girl in St. Louis received his lungs and is alive today because of him.  Read about it HERE.

Conceal carry gun owner unintentionally fires gun in Iowa Walmart and continues shopping

Occurred November 17, 2013.


Christopher Strube, a legal conceal carry permit holder, was shopping in a Walmart store in Centerville, Iowa, when he unintentionally fired his concealed handgun, hitting some items in his cart but not injuring himself or others, luckily.  

Amazingly, he acted like nothing happened, continued shopping, paid for his goods, and left the store.

He was reported and arrested.

The store remained open throughout the event.

From an article:

Officers said Christopher William Strube, of Centerville, was shopping Sunday afternoon when the .45-caliber handgun fired from his pants pocket. 

Investigators said the 50-year-old Strube told them a bottle he was carrying struck the weapon and caused it to fire one round. 

Police said Strube told them he paid for his items and left the store. 

Store employees and other shoppers reported the gunshot, and police said they smelled gunpowder and found a bullet hole in a basket and several cans of beans. 

They also found a .45-caliber bullet in one of the cans of beans. 

Strube, who has a valid concealed carry permit, was arrested the following morning and charged with discharging a weapon within city limits.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Pennsylvania Walmart employee shot to death in store parking lot by ex-boyfriend

Occurred November 17, 2013.

Scene of shooting at New Brighton Walmart (source)

22-year old Mariah Anderson, an employee at a Walmart store in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, was just driving out of the parking lot after work when shots were fired into her car, killing her.  The shots were fired by her ex-boyfriend and the father of her children, 27-year-old Carlos Harper. 

Police tracked Harper down at his apartment.  Harper fired at least one shot at them with his .40-caliber handgun, then turned the gun on himself, killing himself.

Their three children, ages 1, 3, and 4, now are orphans.

Harper had been stalking her prior to that point, waiting for her after her work, and had been jailed for assaulting Anderson a week before, but was out on bond.

The victim's sister said that Mariah had been afraid to go to work because of being stalked by the shooter.

From an article:

Police said Harper shot Mariah Anderson, 22, after she was escorted to her car by a coworker outside a Walmart in Union Township, near New Castle, on Sunday night. 

Investigators say Anderson had just finished her shift at the store and was driving away in her SUV when several shots were fired into the vehicle at about 11:15 p.m. Anderson died on the way to the hospital. 

"There is some video from Walmart and some witness interviews that were done that led us to the suspect," Lt. Eric Hermick said. 

Anderson had three children, ages 1, 3, and 4, according to her sister, who also said that Anderson had recently broken up with the father of her children. She said that Anderson had filed for a protection-from-abuse order, and that police had taken the man away from the store a couple of times before Sunday.  .... 

"Every day, he'll be at her job, sitting out, waiting for her to get off so he could follow her. Every day, she would have to call the police," Anderson's sister said. "It got to the point where he was hiding in her trunk of her car and just following her around from work and having people go to her job, watching her, things of that nature." 

A criminal complaint was filed Wednesday against Harper, and it lists charges of simple assault (domestic violence), false imprisonment, indecent assault and harassment. 

Anderson is identified as the victim in that incident, which happened at her home, according to the paperwork.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Maine caller phones Walmart asking to buy assault weapon "for school tomorrow"

Occurred November 14, 2013.


A young man called the Walmart store in Newport, Maine, asking if they sold assault rifles, stating, "I need it for school tomorrow."  Upon transfer to the sporting goods department (!), he hung up before transfer was complete. No caller ID was determined.

As a result, area schools and police were put on alert.

From an article:

Newport and Pittsfield schools were placed on alert Friday after a young male called a local Walmart on Thursday, asked if the store sold assault rifles and reportedly said, “I need it for school tomorrow,” according to Newport police. 

Newport police Chief Leonard Macdaid said security at Walmart in Palmyra called him on Thursday afternoon to report the call made to the store. 

“He asked if they had assault rifles there,” Macdaid said on Friday morning. “When the lady told him, ‘I’m not sure, I’ll transfer you to sporting goods,’ the young male said, ‘I need it for school tomorrow.’” 

Macdaid said the young male hung up before the transfer was complete and no caller ID was available. 

“We have no idea where the call came from,” said Macdaid. “We’re erring on the side of caution and have put out a statewide police bulletin.” 

Maine State Police and Pittsfield police were also made aware of the indirect threat, said Macdaid. 

The woman at Walmart said the young male who called “wasn’t irate or threatening. He was talking calmly,” said Macdaid. 

All eight of RSU 19’s schools began operating their “shelter in place” procedures, Superintendent Greg Potter said Friday. The schools are controlling access to buildings and are restricting outdoor activities. The procedures may continue into next week, he said.

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

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

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

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Elderly woman robbed at gunpoint in Wyoming Walmart parking lot

Occurred November 10, 2013.

(UPDATED -- See below)
Three suspects, including a 16-year old boy, robbed an elderly woman of her purse, at gunpoint, in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Riverton, Wyoming, in order to get "gas money."  The boy, Adrian Joseph Sixfeathers, was the robber with the gun.

A police chase ensued, and all three were arrested.

The gun turned out to be a realistic-looking pellet gun.

From an article:

In interviews with investigators, Underwood said she, Sixfeathers and Oldman had been involved in the robbery. 

She said Sixfeathers had suggested the three suspects go to Walmart on Sunday afternoon so he could "grab a bag" from someone. 

"Underwood knew that the purpose was to get gas money," Riverton Police Department Detective Scott Gardner said in his affidavit. 

The trio drove to the store in a silver Chevy Monte Carlo, and Underwood said she parked the car in the lot. 

She said Sixfeathers got out of the vehicle and ran back a short time later with a purse.
"(He) told her to 'go go go,'" Gardner said. 

According to witnesses and video footage, the teen had drawn a gun on a 64-year-old Riverton woman on the northwest side of the parking lot, threatening to shoot her if she didn't give him her purse. 

Gardner said the woman had been leaving the store with her purchased items when Sixfeathers approached her, "pulled a black handgun out and pulled the slide back." 

The woman was not injured in the incident. .... 

After acquiring the handbag, all three suspects reportedly left the area headed south on Federal Boulevard in the Monte Carlo. A witness called police and described the vehicle, which reportedly was missing its back window. 

"The back window (was) broken out with dark plastic covering the window," Gardner wrote.
The caller also identified the suspect vehicle's license plate number. 

Gardner said RPD officer Amy Luton tried to stop the car near the intersection of South Federal Boulevard and East Monroe Avenue, but Underwood failed to yield. 

"(The Monte Carlo) increased speed and continued southbound towards the Wind River Indian Reservation," Gardner wrote. 

Luton pursued the vehicle, which eventually stopped in the 1400 block of 17 Mile Road, about five miles west of Wyoming Highway 789. 

Sixfeathers and Oldman reportedly ran from the car, headed southwest through a field. Gardner said officers engaged in a foot pursuit and eventually apprehended both subjects. 

"Sixfeathers ... was observed throwing an object, later identified as a pellet gun," Gardner wrote. "The pellet gun had the appearance of a semi-automatic handgun." 

The robbery victim later identified the weapon as the one Sixfeathers reportedly used in the Walmart parking lot. 

Gardner said Underwood stayed in the Monte Carlo during the foot chase and surrendered to police. Officers said they found the 64-year-old woman's purse in the vehicle.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.


UPDATE (12/20/13):  The teen robber, Sixfeathers, is being charged as an adult:

The 16-year-old who allegedly robbed a woman in the Walmart parking lot using a pellet gun on Nov. 10 is being charged as an adult and could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. .... 

According to court documents, the victim told police that after purchasing item in the store and walking to her vehicle when a male subject approached. 

“She stated that the suspect pulled a black handgun out and pulled the slide back,” states the affidavit. “The suspect then pointed the gun to her head and said ‘I’m going to shoot you if you don’t give me your purse.’ She then gave the suspect her purse.” 

The court documents state the woman was able to give a description of the get-away vehicle used, and RPD Officer Amy Luton observed it traveling southbound on Federal Boulevard shortly after the 911 call. The vehicle failed to stop for the officer, and a pursuit continued onto the Wind River Indian Reservation until the suspect vehicle stopped on the 1400 block of 17 Mile Road. 

Two men, later identified as Oldman and Sixfeathers allegedly fled the vehicle. Sixfeathers was observed throwing a pellet gun, which resembled a semi-automatic handgun. Both men were detained, and the victim identified the gun thrown as the one used in the robbery. 

Underwood reportedly remained in the driver’s seat after the vehicle stopped. 

“Underwood admitted during question that she, Adrian Joseph Sixfeathers and Curtis Oldman were involved in the robbery at Wal-Mart,” states the affidavit. “She advised that prior to the robbery she, Sixfeathers, and Oldman were attempting to sell I-pods at the ‘Game Stop’ in Riverton. At that time, Sixfeathers, suggested that they go to Wal-Mart and he would ‘grab a bag’ from someone. Underwood knew that the purpose was to get gas money. She stated that the three went to Wal-Mart and then she parked the car. Sixfeathers got out of the vehicle and ran back a short time later with a purse and told her to ‘go, go, go.’” 

The affidavit also states that the victim’s purse was found in the vehicle driven by Underwood, and that the victim positively identified Sixfeathers as the one who robbed her.

.