A Walmart employee tragically lost her life in a violent incident during a nighttime shift, where a man, allegedly driven by delusions, fatally stabbed her. The assailant reportedly believed he was attacking a “demon” that had been haunting him.
The Conway Police Department responded swiftly to the distress call at 10:58 p.m. on Tuesday, reporting a stabbing incident involving a female employee at the Walmart Supercenter located on U.S. 65. Officers arrived at the scene almost immediately and found the suspect, 37-year-old Zeddrick Ross, still wielding a knife.
Despite multiple commands from the police to drop the weapon, Ross did not comply and instead advanced toward one of the officers. In response, an officer discharged a firearm, but the shot missed the suspect. Another officer then used a Taser in an attempt to subdue him.
Ross is now facing a first-degree murder charge and is being detained without bond at the Faulkner County Detention Center, as confirmed by the Conway Police Department.
The victim, 32-year-old Jordanne Drinkwater, received immediate emergency assistance from both police officers and medical personnel on-site. Tragically, despite their efforts, she succumbed to her injuries at the scene.
The victim, identified by police as 32-year-old Jordanne Drinkwater, was given emergency aid by officers and medical personnel but died at the scene.
Ross was then taken into custody and was booked into the Faulkner County Detention Center. Police said that no one else was injured.
Investigators said Ross was not employed by Walmart, did not know Drinkwater and had no known interaction with her prior to the attack, in what police described as an apparently random act of violence. The investigation remains ongoing.
Jordanne Drinkwater was killed in a random knife stabbing at an Arkansas Walmart Supercenter, police said. (Facebook/Jordanne Drinkwater)
According to the police affidavit, reviewed by Fox News Digital, Ross told a detective he had been pursued by what he described as a “demon” and armed himself with a knife for protection.
Ross said he believed he was confronting that figure when he stabbed Drinkwater multiple times, later telling investigators he realized she did not resemble the person he thought had been following him.
The affidavit revealed that Ross told police he had stolen the knife earlier and had gone to the store intending to obtain another weapon. An officer who discharged a firearm during the encounter has been placed on administrative leave, a routine step following an officer-involved shooting, the department said.
According to records from the Independence County District Court, reviewed by Fox News Digital, Ross’ criminal history includes a 2020 theft misdemeanor charge and conviction and a 2022 obstructing governmental operations in Faulkner County District Court conviction. In 2022, he was sentenced to one year of probation.
According to the Conway Police Department, officers were called to the Walmart in Conway, Arkansas just before 11 p.m. after reports of a stabbing involving an employee. (Facebook/Jordanne Drinkwater)
Drinkwater, who went affectionately as Puff to friends, was described as an “amazing human being.” Sam Slaughter, who knew Drinkwater for nearly 10 years, told KATV that she heard the news of her friend’s death when another friend texted her.
“I called him and I said, ‘You’re kidding. It’s not—not, not Jordan, not Puff, right? Like, that’s not Puff, right?’ And the world stopped,” Slaughter told the outlet.
“I never met somebody as, as, as pure as Jordan. It was just I don’t—I didn’t understand. I still don’t understand why it had to be her. She helped change my entire life for the better—everything from staying sober to the way I think about the world and how it works and not putting more hate into it and just trying to do better. She was an amazing human being. She’s going to be so, so missed.”
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