Alleged Diaper Thief Shot And Killed By Armed Bystander At Florida Walmart
On Saturday morning, a Florida Walmart became a deadly crime scene when an alleged diaper thief was shot and killed by an armed bystander. The deadly incident reportedly took place in the parking lot of the Pine Hills Walmart, and the armed bystander was a Walmart shopper who told investigators that he was in fear for his life when the shooting occurred.
Wal-Mart customer fatally shoots suspected diaper thief – https://t.co/6eg9B0442M #winknews pic.twitter.com/6IIv1F4Cm7
— WINK News (@winknews) February 5, 2017
As Fox News reports, responding officers didn’t get the call that a shoplifting incident had allegedly taken place at the Walmart location until the alleged diaper thief had already been shot. According to WREG 3, witnesses to the so-called “diaper heist” claim that four individuals walked out of the Florida Walmart with “shopping cart-fulls” of baby diapers and “other items” that hadn’t been paid for. They then attempted to load the stolen items into a red vehicle.
A Walmart employee reportedly followed the four people, including the alleged diaper thief who ultimately lost his life in the incident, to their getaway car. The Walmart employee is said to have confronted the group about the stolen property; it was then that the armed bystander came to the employee’s aid.
An altercation between the alleged diaper thieves, the Walmart employee, and the armed bystander reportedly ensued as the Walmart employee and bystander confronted each other. At some point, according to the bystander, he feared for his life. He claimed that one of the alleged shoplifters reached for something that the armed bystander thought could have been a weapon. So, according to witnesses, the alleged Walmart diaper thief was shot in the parking lot.
“What we have at this point is that the individual felt threatened — one of the suspects reached for something [and he] thought that it was a weapon or firearm. The individual who was assisting the [employee] was armed and used that weapon to fire on the suspect.”
After the shooting, the four suspects managed to get into their vehicle and attempted to flee the scene, reports the Orlando Sentinel. Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Angelo Nieves told the media that the suspected diaper thieves didn’t make it far. Rather, they wrecked their getaway vehicle into two other parked cars in the Walmart parking lot and fled on foot.
Shooter should be arrested. I suspect he was reaching for a receipt. If FLA is like CA we don't get bags anymore. @CivilRights @3onyourside
— Aframerica (@Aframerica) February 5, 2017
Let's just let everyone have a gun! Diapers=death? Citizens should not be taking law into their hands.
— Lulu (@lulunette725) February 5, 2017
Investigators would later learn that the suspects’ car, allegedly used in the Walmart diaper shoplifting incident, was stolen. It had reportedly been carjacked last month.
Three of the suspects in the Walmart theft incident reportedly got away and remain unidentified; the fourth suspect, who was shot in the incident, made it only as far as a gas station across the road. There, the alleged Walmart diaper thief reportedly sought help for his injuries, which witnesses claim that he knew were going to be fatal.
“He was saying he was going to die and stuff and I sat down there and held his hand and said you’re going to be okay.”
Emergency services were called from the Citgo gas station, and the alleged Walmart diaper thief was transported to a local hospital. He reportedly died at Orlando Regional Medical Center as a result of the wounds he sustained in the shooting.
Investigators have not released any names in the deadly shooting, but say that the deceased shooting victim was a 19-year-old male. Local law enforcement officers have confirmed that the dead teen was one of four shoplifters who stolen diapers from the Walmart location.
According to witnesses to the alleged diaper theft gone wrong and subsequent shooting, the armed bystander fired five shots during the incident.
Police confirm that the armed bystander admitted his role in the death of the Walmart diaper thief who was shot and confirm that the shooters is fully cooperating with investigators at this time; it is unclear whether the shooter may face criminal charges.
[Featured Image by fotomak/Shutterstock]
