Left inset: Roberto Acevedo (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation). Center inset: Surveillance video allegedly captures Roberto Acevedo’s friends opening fire on shopper Nathaniel Baez inside a Florida Walmart (WPLG/YouTube). Right inset: Nathaniel Baez (WPLG). Background: Emergency crews respond to the Florida Walmart where Baez was fatally shot (WPLG/YouTube).
A routine shopping trip at a Florida Walmart turned deadly after an employee allegedly summoned his “armed friends” to the store over what began as a hostile look from a customer, according to court records. Moments later, gunfire erupted near the checkout lanes, killing 23-year-old Nathaniel Baez and wounding an elderly bystander.
Baez’s family has filed a lawsuit against Walmart and employee Roberto Acevedo over the 2023 shooting. In a recent court filing, attorney Todd Michaels alleges that Acevedo “called his friends to the store” after a tense encounter with Baez, believing he was about to be “jumped.” The filing says Acevedo wanted the men to confront Baez and “fight” him.
Acevedo, then 20, was working inside the Florida City Walmart as a “digital shopper,” according to the lawsuit. In that role, employees fulfill online orders by moving through the aisles with a cart and selecting items from store shelves for customers.
“On July 19, 2023, Nathaniel Baez, a few friends, and a small child had come to Walmart to shop,” the latest filing states.
The document says the group crossed paths with Acevedo while he was in uniform, working his shift and gathering items as part of his digital shopping duties. According to the filing, Acevedo had been trained to keep his large cart positioned so it would not block aisles or create an obstacle for customers. Instead, the lawsuit claims, he left the cart in the middle of an aisle, forcing shoppers to squeeze around it. As Baez and the others moved between the cart and a freezer, Acevedo allegedly claimed one of Baez’s friends stared him down and muttered something under his breath that included the word “f—.”
In connection with the 2023 Walmart shooting, Lestin is facing charges of second-degree murder and attempted murder. Hodge, meanwhile, is charged with battery.
The Baez family’s lawsuit contends that Walmart shares responsibility because Acevedo was working at the time of the confrontation. The complaint argues the retail giant had a duty to keep its store reasonably safe for customers, invitees and members of the public.
Walmart has not responded to requests for comment about the suit. A spokesperson released the following statement after the shooting: “We are saddened by what happened in our Florida City store Wednesday, and our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones. One associate has been suspended. We’ll continue working closely with local law enforcement through the course of their investigation.”
The post Walmart worker tells ‘armed friends’ to come take out shopper who ‘glared at him’ the wrong way, bullets fly and customers get shot near checkout area: Lawsuit first appeared on Law & Crime.
