A hostage situation occurred at a Walmart in Richland, Mississippi when an emotional 21-year-old female customer took a Walmart employee hostage and held her at gunpoint. The incident happened at around 5:40 pm on Wednesday, December 21. According to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the customer was identified as Corlunda McGinister of West Helena, Arkansas. The incident was caught on video and went viral. 

Sources say that McGinister was seen trembling and kept saying she was waiting for a news anchor to come and talk to her. Video footage taken by a shopper showed that McGinister held the gun directly into a frightened employee’s head, positioning one hand on the gun, and the other to hold onto the employee’s vest, as the woman led the employee to the front of the store.

McGinister was aware of a customer filming her, and said she would not hurt the hostage or anyone else. After a series exchanges and negotiations with the customer, police 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 else was wounded in the incident.

A customer at the Walmart told WAPT-TV that she and her cousin couldn’t get into the store because people were screaming and rushing to exit, which caused them to flee, and then they heard a gunshot.

It is still unclear why McGinister took the employee hostage and why she demanded that news anchors show up, as she was killed before police could get an answer to those questions. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the situation. It is unclear 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.

Watch the video here.