Advertisement

N.C. police seek suspect in Black Friday Walmart shooting that injured 1

Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Police said one person was hospitalized Friday after being shot inside a North Carolina Walmart store, triggering a chaotic scene just three days after six people were killed at a Walmart in Virginia.

Lumberton. N.C., police said they arrived at the store at 11:26 a.m. as Black Friday shoppers were being evacuated but were initially unable to locate the shooter or any victims.

Advertisement

Within a few minutes of their arrival, police were alerted that an injured person had arrived at UNC Health Southeastern hospital in Lumberton "with a gunshot wound that was not life threatening."

Lumberton is located about 130 miles southeast of Charlotte, N.C.

Surveillance video showed the shooter fleeing the store as it was being evacuated, police said, adding they have identified the suspect and were attempting to locate him.

Both the suspect's and the victim's identities were withheld.

The Walmart was closed as of 2 p.m. Friday. A sign outside indicated it would reopen at 6 a.m. Saturday.

Police told WRAL-TV the shooting happened between two people who know each other.

The gunfire caused people inside to flee and to seek cover, witness Shane Baker told the broadcaster, adding an argument between two people led to the violence.

Advertisement

"I heard the guy make a threat," Baker said. "He said, 'I'll kill everyone in here.'"

Baker said he aided in evacuating more than a dozen people into a meat locker for safety.

"I remember seeing a lot of people run," shopper Kristie Branch told WPDE-TV. "Everybody was screaming, 'run, run' -- just screaming -- and as hard as I could go. I don't remember who I passed by."

The shooting and panic came as memories about a mass killing at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Va., earlier this week remained fresh.

In the Tuesday incident, seven people including the suspect were killed and six others injured. The shooter was a night shift manager at the store. Three people, including the suspect, were found dead in the Walmart's break room, while another body was found toward the front of the store.

Three other victims were taken to local hospitals but succumbed to their injuries.

Latest Headlines