A video that recently surfaced on the Internet shows an armed Walmart cop opening fire on a suspected shoplifter. The law enforcement officer reportedly took matters into his own hands after the customer allegedly stole BBQ without paying.
The incident, which took place in Del City, Oklahoma, happened in the superstore’s parking lot. At first, the video starts by showing the officer and man in a physical struggle.
The customer sits in the driver’s seat while the cop appears to try pulling the customer out of the car. After several seconds of a struggle, the customer in the driver’s seat puts the car in reverse and starts backing away with the door still open.
While the customer’s vehicle starts moving backward, the cop then pulls out his gun and fires multiple rounds at the vehicle. The authorities say the customer tried leaving the store with more than he paid for, according to Daily Mail.
Walmart Shooting: Police and Witnesses Speak Out
Del City Police Commander Bradley Rule addressed the incident. “The suspect was hit. He received non-life-threatening injuries,” Rule said. “He arrived at a hospital and we have detectives there now speaking to him.”
Witness Shannon Hicks talked to News on 6 about the shooting. Hicks says she stood at a “45-degree angle” from the spot of the shooting. “If I was in the wrong place, I could have been a target as well,” Hicks said.
The cop reportedly works as a security guard at Langston University. Officials from the university released a statement in regard to the issue. “The officer was not performing duties on behalf of Langston University at that time of the incident,” the statement reads. “The Langston University Police Department intends to cooperate with the Del City Police Department if assistance is requested.”
Furthermore, a Walmart spokesman released a statement about the incident. “We are working with law enforcement as part of an ongoing investigation and performing a review of our own,” the statement reads.
[H/T TMZ, Daily Mail, News on 6]
