Cops: Disgruntled Employee Killed 2 Walmart Workers

Shooting took place Southaven, Mississippi

By Newser Editors and Wire Services

Posted Jul 30, 2019 9:48 AM CDT
Updated Jul 30, 2019 1:26 PM CDT

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2 Dead After Shooting at Walmart — This image shows police and emergency personnel responding to a shooting at a Walmart in Southaven, Miss., on Tuesday. (WATN-TV via AP)

A gunman described as a disgruntled Walmart employee fatally shot two co-workers and wounded a police officer before he was shot and arrested Tuesday at a Walmart store in northern Mississippi, authorities said. Southaven Police Chief Macon Moore said the man, whom he did not name, shot a Southaven police officer, who was protected by a bulletproof vest and suffered minor injuries. The chief said a second Southaven officer shot the suspect, who was then taken for surgery to a hospital in neighboring Memphis, Tennessee. Both the people killed were Walmart employees, Moore said. Employees told the AP that the first was shot in the parking lot, and the second was shot inside the store.

Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite described the suspect as a disgruntled worker with a grievance against his employer. "It wasn't an accident," said Travis Jones, an overnight stocker who was working when he heard shots. "He knew what he was doing when he came in there." Nicholas Gales said one of the slain workers was his brother, Brandon Gales, a father of four. "I heard a bunch of gunshots. Pop pop pop pop—more than a dozen shots," one bystander tells CNN. He was leaving the store when the shooting broke out. "I just thought 'Run!' and ran to my car. This is crazy. The world is crazy nowadays." (The shooting follows the tragedy at a food festival in California.)

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