An off-duty Walmart employee has been charged with first-degree murder after fatally shooting a customer who intervened in a fight between the employee and his colleague at a store in suburban Fort Lauderdale. The incident occurred around midday on Tuesday when the employee, Tironie Sterling, 22, reportedly arrived at the store to meet a female employee with whom he had a dispute. The argument escalated into a physical fight, during which Sterling dropped his handgun. A male customer tried to intervene, and Sterling later retrieved his gun, shooting the customer several times. The victim, whose identity has not yet been released, died later in hospital. Sterling fled the store but was arrested a few hours later.
Walmart has responded to the incident with a statement that read, “Senseless violence like this is intolerable, and we’re heartbroken the customer who intervened in an apparent attack on one of our associates has died from his injuries… we will continue working closely with law enforcement and assisting in the investigation. Our store will remain closed until further notice.” The company also confirmed that Sterling has been suspended and is in the process of being terminated from his employment.
Sterling has been charged with murder while engaged in a felony and robbery by sudden snatching with a firearm or weapon and is being held without bond. It is not known if he has legal representation.
The fatal shooting in Fort Lauderdale comes amid a surge in gun violence in the US, with mass shootings and homicides on the rise nationwide. Walmart has previously been in the spotlight as a high-profile site for mass shootings, including an incident in an El Paso store in 2019 which left 22 dead and another attack in a Mississippi store in July 2021 which left two dead.
