A heart-stopping video has emerged, capturing the tense moment when a shoplifting suspect allegedly attempted to fire a gun at an Ohio police officer at close range inside a Walmart. The potential tragedy was averted, thanks to a gun malfunction and the swift actions of a store security officer.
This dramatic encounter occurred in Canton on a Thursday, following the detention of a man and a woman suspected of stealing items from the store, as reported by local authorities.
The suspects were escorted to a security room where a police officer was seen questioning and searching the male suspect. The suspect was later identified as 21-year-old Shane Newman, according to FOX 8.
Footage from the officer’s body camera, which had been placed on a table, initially depicted a serene scene. A Walmart employee handed the officer a pen and paper while the two suspects sat quietly on a bench.
A sudden twist in the narrative came when the Walmart security employee, reacting with remarkable speed, lunged at the armed suspect just as he attempted to fire at the officer. This moment of courage was captured in the gripping footage released by the Canton Police Department.
The situation, initially calm, escalated in the blink of an eye, but thanks to the quick intervention, a potential catastrophe was narrowly avoided.
Newman suddenly turned, pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot the officer as the woman screamed, “No, no, no!” A clicking sound could be heard as Newman apparently pulled the trigger.
The Walmart worker immediately jumped on Newman in an effort to restrain him, but Newman raised the gun again and attempted to fire a second time and another click could be heard.
The worker then knocked the gun from Newman’s hands as the officer drew his weapon and shouted, “Get back! Get back!”
The officer then took control of matters and pinned Newman to the floor until additional police arrived. Both suspects were taken into custody.
In the bodycam footage, the officer told responding police that Newman had “pulled the gun out, pointed it at my head and pulled the trigger,” but the weapon did not fire.
A Walmart security worker and a police officer restrain a shoplifting suspect inside a store security room in Ohio after police say the suspect attempted to shoot the officer, body-camera footage shows. (Canton Police Department)
The officer said he drew his own weapon and would have shot Newman, but feared hitting the Walmart employee as the worker struggled to disarm the suspect. He also acknowledged missing the gun concealed in Newman’s shoulder bag during the initial search.
The officer said he had just been alerted seconds before the attack that Newman had an active warrant for his arrest and was classified as “armed and dangerous.”
Newman was charged with attempted murder and felonious assault on a police officer, court records show.
The woman, identified as Katerina Jefferey, was charged with complicity to commit robbery and having weapons under disability for possession of ammunition, FOX 8 reported.
Split-frame bodycam images show Shane Newman inside a Walmart security room in Ohio shortly before police say he pulled a gun and attempted to shoot an officer. Newman is seen holding a small red container that investigators said contained illegal drugs. (Canton Police Department)
Before the violence erupted, the police officer asked Newman if he had anything on him as part of the search. Newman said all he had was a cellphone, and then he voluntarily handed over a small container from his pocket that investigators said contained illegal drugs, according to FOX 8.
“Are we going to jail?” Jeffrey asked the police officer.
“Not unless something crazy happens,” the officer replied.
