Inset: Police respond to a Las Vegas Walmart after a man allegedly opened fire inside the store and was later fatally shot by officers (KTNV/YouTube). The Walmart on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas, Nev., where authorities say the shooting unfolded (Google Maps).
A confrontation inside a Nevada Walmart turned deadly Tuesday morning when a man allegedly pulled a gun during an altercation and shot another person in the store, prompting panic among shoppers and employees before responding officers opened fire and killed the suspected shooter.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said officers were called to the Walmart in the 5100 block of Boulder Highway in East Las Vegas at about 6 a.m., shortly after the store had opened. When police arrived, they encountered an unidentified man leaving the building while armed with a firearm, officials said.
“LVMPD communications received a call for service, stating that numerous subjects were involved in a physical altercation inside,” a police captain told reporters during a press briefing following the early morning shooting.
According to the captain, the first arriving officer heard what sounded like a gunshot from inside the business moments before the suspect came out holding a weapon. “That caused the officer to discharge his firearm, striking the suspect,” the captain said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
After the officer-involved shooting, police went inside the Walmart and found a second man suffering from a gunshot wound allegedly inflicted by the suspect. “That male was also provided immediate medical attention and transported to the hospital where he’s currently in critical condition,” the LVMPD captain said. Investigators do not believe the shooting was random, adding that the two men appeared to know each other or have some prior connection.
Police said “numerous” people were tied to the altercation that preceded the gunfire, though detectives were still working to determine exactly how many individuals were involved. “We still don’t know how many,” the captain told reporters.
Authorities said the investigation remains active as they continue examining the connections among the suspects and others involved in the incident.
Shoppers who were at the Walmart spoke to local media outlets about the chaos that unfolded in the store, calling it “scary” and completely unexpected.
“I literally came to get some Tylenol so I can do my morning walk, and I came into a scene looking like Baghdad,” shopper Christopher Goodloe told CBS affiliate KLAS. “I can’t believe it, man. Thirty-two years and I never experienced this in my life. Vegas has changed quite a bit.”
A female shopper told local ABC affiliate KTNV, “Honestly, it was scary because a lot of families live in the area. I’m here all the time, so to hear something like this happened at our local Walmart is crazy. I never thought it would happen over here.”
While it hasn’t been confirmed, Goodloe said he heard from customers that there was “some kind of domestic dispute” that led to the shooting inside the Walmart “and some girl’s boyfriend came from home and to the store and got into a physical altercation” with someone.
Asked about the possibility of a domestic dispute taking place, the LVMPD captain who spoke to reporters said, “We are still working on the relationships between all the suspects or subjects involved.”
The post Man whips gun out in Walmart during morning shopping and blasts person in middle of store, sending customers scattering as cops show up and also open fire first appeared on Law & Crime.
