'Gunman' Wal-Mart incident in Ohio tragically ended after a suspected gunman was shot several times and killed by police. According to The SpreadIt, 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident happened around 8 p.m. on Tuesday at Beavercreek, Ohio.
The alleged "gunman" in the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident is 22-year-old John Crawford of Fairfield.
According to The Inquisitr, he was at a Walmart store in Dayton suburb of Beavercreek when he allegedly grabbed a toy gun from the toy aisle. Apparently, some shoppers thought Crawford was holding a real-life gun and the "gun" ended up the reason for his demise.
Crawford was shot dead during the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident because according to a law enforcement as told to CBS affiliate WHIO, he was brandishing a realistic-looking toy gun.
Eventually, after the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident, the station reported that the alleged "weapon" could have been some type of BB or pellet gun which Crawford had picked up and opened while at the store.
According to CBS News, a couple from Riverside by the names of April and Ronald Ritchie told WHIO that they were present during the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident.
Around 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, before the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident ended in a bloody outcome, they saw a man walking the aisles, carrying what they thought was a real gun. The Ritchies followed Crawford at a safe distance. They said he was pointing it toward the sky, which is why they called 911.
April Ritchie said, 'Anytime I saw people walking his way, I would get their attention.'
April said the man appeared to be cradling a cellphone between his left ear and shoulder while he doing something with the rifle.
April Ritchie said, 'He just kept messing with it and I heard a clicking.'
Ronald Ritchie on the other hand, said Crawford 'was just waving [the gun] at children and people...I couldn't hear anything that he was saying. I'm thinking that he is either going to rob the place or he's there to shoot somebody.'
He added, 'He didn't really want to be looked at and when people did look at him, he was pointing the gun at them. He was pointing at people. Children walking by.'
By the statement of the Ritchies, the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident, it appears, began after Crawford started waving the extremely realistic-looking toy rifle at customers inside the store. This led the Ritchies to call 911.
When police in the Dayton suburb of Beavercreek arrived at the store and approached Crawford, they immediately told him to put the "gun" down and to get down on the floor.
Probably one of the reasons the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident ended horribly is because Crawford didn't just comply with the officers' orders to get down on the floor. The police unhesitatingly shot Crawford twice in the pet supply section after a brief and tense standoff, according to The Examiner.
The Ritchies said the two shots fired knocked the Crawford backward. As Crawford tried to get up, he was tackled by an officer. The officer then handcuffed him and turned him on his back.
According to the Montgomery County coroner's office, Crawford was confirmed transported to the Miami Valley Hospital and pronounced dead Tuesday night as a result of the gunshots fired by police during the tragic 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident.
Apparently, it wasn't only Crawford who died from the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident. A second victim was identified as 37-year-old Angela Williams of Fairborn. Williams suffered a "medical condition" and she died inside of the store and pronounced dead after the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident.
Beavercreek police said in a release, 'She was apparently running from a dangerous situation inside the Walmart store when she collapsed. She was taken to Soin Medical Center where she died at 9:14 p.m. An autopsy is expected to be performed today.'
The Beavercreek Walmart branch admitted to seingll weapons. After the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident, officials reportedly confirmed that Crawford had not brought the "gun" with him into the store.
On Wednesday afternoon after the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident, Walmart issued a statement.
Spokesman Brian Nick said, 'We are deeply saddened about the loss of life last night and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of everyone involved. We are still learning information about the events surrounding this tragedy, and assisting police in their ongoing investigation.'
WHIO reports that the Walmart store was closed overnight after the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident Tuesday. They reopened shortly before 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
As police investigated, they found Crawford on the phone with his girlfriend, LeeCee Johnson, whom he was supposed to marry that coming weekend. Johnson told police that her boyfriend did have a habit of "playing around." She was surprised however when she was told they suspected him of carrying around the store a "gun", since it was only a toy.
Johnson also detailed how she heard Crawford getting shot and screaming in pain during the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident.
Johnson said while sobbing, 'I just heard them shooting him like he was nothing and he was telling them that it wasn't real and they didn't even give him a chance to respond. They just shot.'
According to The Inquisitr, Crawford had a 1-year-old and a 4-month-old son with Johnson. Johnson also just found out that she was pregnant again with Crawford, but Crawford didn't yet know.
The Examiner reports that the Attorney General's Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) unit is now handling the investigation of the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident.
In the meantime, police and the BCI have refused to say whether the weapon Crawford apparently had was real or fake.
BCI spokesperson Jill Del Greco commented on the 'gunman' Wal-Mart incident.
He said, 'BCI is going to look at the entire situation and look at what happened and what led up to the incident and how the officers responded. We will not make a determination of if the shooting was justified or not.'
'Gunman' Wal-Mart incident reportedly ended as such since Crawford was said to be the only black person in the store at the time the police arrived, reports WDTN. His family therefore believes that he was shot because of his skin's color.
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