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.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Shoplifter threatens California Walmart employees with a gun

Occurred January 13, 2015.


A man attempted to shoplift a large number of items from a Walmart store in Clovis, California, when loss prevention employees tried to stop him.  The man then threatened them with a handgun and fled with the help of an accomplice.  Luckily, no one was injured.

From an article:

Clovis police are searching for two suspects who stole $800 worth of merchandise at gunpoint Tuesday night from the Walmart located at 323 West Shaw Ave.

Sgt. Lonnie Amerjan said that one of the men entered the Walmart just before 5:30 p.m. and began to load a shopping cart with expensive items from different areas of the store.

Loss prevention officers grew suspicious of the man and stopped him as he tried to leave.

The man then drew what was described as a black, semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at the two loss prevention personnel, who allowed him to pass with the cart.

The man then pushed the cart out to a small, silver compact car with paper license plates driven by an unknown person. He loaded the stolen goods, and the car exited the shopping center onto westbound Shaw Avenue.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/01/13/4329229_police-investigating-armed-robbery.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Conceal carry permit holder unintentionally shoots self in Tennessee Walmart

Occurred January 13, 2015.


A man who was legally carrying a concealed handgun unintentionally shot himself while in a Walmart store in Athens, Tennessee. 

Luckily, this time, the wound was not serious and no one else was injured.  No charges were pressed.

From an article:

At around 1 p.m. Monday, an unidentified man was going through the men's clothing department at Walmart when he decided to reach for a handkerchief in his pocket. When he did, a gun in that pocket went off and the bullet cut through his leg.

The man was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center to be treated for his injury.

No charges will be brought as authorities with the Athens Police Department deemed the shooting accidental. Also, the man was carrying the weapon legally.

Walmart allows the carrying of concealed handguns in its stores.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Gunman robs Walmart Neighborhood Market in Connecticut

Occurred January 10, 2015.


A man with a handgun entered a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Bristol, Connecticut, and fled with money.

From an article:

A man armed with a handgun robbed the Walmart Neighborhood Market Saturday and made off with an undetermined amount of cash, police said. No injuries were reported.

Police said the robber entered the store at 325 Oakland St. about 5:30 p.m., and approached a clerk. He displayed the gun and demanded money, police said.

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.

Shoplifter threatens Walmart security guard with gun in Philadelphia

Occurred January 10, 2015.


A man went into a Walmart store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and shoplifted a 50" TV.  When security confronted him, he threatened them with a gun, then fled.

From an article:

In a brazen armed robbery, a suspect walked into a 24-hour Wal-Mart located at 1675 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. in the city's Pennsport neighborhood around 1:55 a.m., grabbed a 50-inch television and headed for the exit, police said.

A store security guard stopped the suspect before he left the store, which is just north of Pier 70,  but the man pulled back his shirt to reveal a weapon tucked into his waistband -- all while other shoppers were nearby, authorities said.

The suspect then fled the store in an unknown direction.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.

Man shot and injured in homicide attempt at Philadelphia Walmart store

Occurred January 9, 2015.

Scene of shooting at Philadelphia Walmart (screenshot source)

A man and his brother had arranged to meet another person in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  When the other person arrived, he exited his car, walked to the passenger side of the waiting men, and opened fire, hitting the passenger multiple times in the chest, arm, and leg, before fleeing.

From an article and news video:

The 26-year-old victim was shot about 75 feet from the front door of the Walmart. The store was open at the time, and police say it's lucky there weren't more injuries.

"When the shooting took place, this Walmart was open for business," said Chief Inspector Scott Small. "There were customer cars in the parking lot, there were several customers in the Walmart, there were about 20 employees in the Walmart."

"We're very fortunate there was no one else injured and no one was struck by stray gunfire," Small continued.

Small said the shooting was recorded by store surveillance cameras.

He said it shows the gunman getting out of the driver's side of his vehicle and walking to the passenger side of another car, where the victim was sitting.

"Somehow the door opened on the victim's vehicle - the passenger front door - and shots were fired," Small said. "You can see the flash of the weapon and the shots being fired and then the victim's vehicle fleeing the scene."

Investigators say the victim had arranged to meet a person who may have owed him some money.

Because this was a pre-arranged meeting, and because it was all caught on surveillance video, police are pretty confident they know who they're looking for.

The victim had been shot in the chest, arm, and leg.

Police say the victim's vehicle was being driven by his brother, who drove the victim to Holy Redeemer Hospital in Abington Township after the shooting.

That's where police first learned of the shooting, after hospital workers alerted police about a gunshot victim.

The victim was later transferred to Temple University Hospital in guarded condition.

Walmart.  Save money.  Die faster.