A woman, 42, was fatally shot while queuing at a bank located inside a Walmart in Lumberton, North Carolina on December 20, 2024.
According to the police, a 17-year-old suspect started shooting at two individuals, who were the intended targets of the attack. One of the suspects has surrendered, while the other is still at large.
Brian Campbell, 18, voluntarily turned himself in to the police on Monday night. He is currently being held on a $1 million bond at the Robeson County Detention Center, facing charges of accessory after the fact tied to the killing of Brandy Nicole Olson.
Police are still in pursuit of Ezekiel Burden, 17, who is wanted on charges of first-degree murder, discharging a firearm within an enclosure to incite fear, and going armed to the terror of the people.
The incident took place around 3:45 p.m. at the Woodforest Bank branch inside the Walmart on Fayetteville Road. The police said the suspects were targeting two known individuals who were in line at the bank. Olson, who was on the line, was hit by the gunfire. It is unclear if she was targeted. Emergency services were called, and witnesses at the scene attempted to save her life. Olson was later pronounced dead at UNC Health Southeastern.
“When he started shooting, the lady ran in front of him,” witness Steven Rumsey told WNCN.
A shopper inside the store captured the incident on their cellphone, recording at least six gunshots. “The scariest s— I have ever experienced!” Kayleann Brooke posted on her Facebook page, expressing her fear and shock.
Orlando Farrington, Olson’s boyfriend, and friend Cyndee Oxendine speculated she might have been targeted due to carrying a substantial amount of cash at the time. Her friends organized a balloon release at Ruby Tuesdays, her place of work, in her memory.
City Councilman John Cantey Jr. mentioned his office has received an influx of calls from worried residents about their safety while holiday shopping. “Our citizens are afraid. They are fearful of this holiday season,” he told local ABC affiliate WTVD.
A number of law enforcement agencies are participating in the investigation, including the Lumberton Police Department, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, and the ATF.
Several similar incidents have occurred at different Walmart locations in recent months.
In Frisco, Texas, in November, a 22-year-old man was fatally shot at a Walmart. The suspect, also 22, was apprehended shortly after the incident.
On September 19, in Farmington, New Mexico a suspect was shot dead, and a woman was injured during a shooting in a Walmart parking lot on West Main Street. The incident led to an ongoing investigation.
In August 2024, a 71-year-old man was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Walmart near the Shops at Boardwalk shopping mall in Kansas City, Missouri. A suspect was apprehended near the scene.
