Inset: William Eckman (City of York Police Department). Background: The Walmart the suspect allegedly set fire to in York, Neb. (Google Maps).
A Nebraska Walmart turned into a scene of chaos when a man ignited a fire while the store buzzed with shoppers and employees, according to authorities.
Local reports, including one from Lincoln’s CBS affiliate KOLN, indicate that 20-year-old William Eckman faces charges of first-degree arson, making terroristic threats, and causing criminal mischief with damages exceeding $5,000.
The incident took place on a Sunday morning.
Shortly before noon, the York Police Department received a call directing them to the Walmart in question. As officers made their way, a city dispatcher reportedly relayed that a man was on record confessing to the arson. This individual was allegedly Eckman.
The fire prompted an evacuation and temporary closure of the store while the flames were brought under control.
Police apprehended Eckman near a set of dumpsters on the premises.
When law enforcement interviewed the suspect, he allegedly confessed to knowing people were inside the store and took information about the shoppers” locations into account when he began the inferno, local ABC affiliate KHGI reported.
The defendant also mentioned details about the fire that only people who had seen it would know, authorities said.
The resulting conflagration destroyed nearly $15,000 in merchandise, according to police, which apparently did not take into account damages to the store itself.
Law enforcement asked the public to share any information they had on Eckman or the moments surrounding the fire.
The store was reopened on Wednesday.
Eckman was booked into the York County Jail on a $2,500 bond and had his first appearance in court on Wednesday.
York is located in the eastern part of the Cornhusker State, about 50 miles west of Lincoln.
