An upset female customer took a Walmart employee hostage and held a gun to her head. The event occurred at a Richland, Mississippi Walmart on December 21.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety announced that the customer was identified as Corlunda McGinister of West Helena, Arkansas. The chaotic scene was recorded on video and went viral on social media.
McGinister was seen trembling and kept saying she wanted to talk to a news anchor. No one knew what she wanted to talk about. Video footage taken by a Walmart shopper showed McGinister holding a gun directly at an unidentified, frightened employee’s head, while leading the employee to the front of the store.
When McGinister saw another customer filming her, she said she would not hurt the hostage or anyone else.
After a back and forth conversation with McGinister, police, concerned about the possibility of a mass shooting event, told McGinister to put her hands up. News media sources confirmed that the officers shot and killed the suspect, leaving the terrified hostage safe and uninjured.
Police Chief Nick McLendon confirmed to WAPT-TV that no one, other than McGinister, was wounded in the incident.
It is unclear why McGinister took the employee hostage and why she demanded that news anchors show up, and she was shot by police before those questions could be answered.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the situation. There is no crystal ball to tell us if police had prevented a mass shooting, or if the gun-wielding woman could have been disarmed safely.
A similar occurrence happened last month when a mass shooter Andre Bing massacred six people inside a Walmart in Virginia. Understandably, police are on edge in these situations.
Watch the video here.
