A 42-year-old woman was killed Friday, December 20, while standing in line at a bank inside a Lumberton, North Carolina, Walmart.
A 17-year-old suspect allegedly opened fire at two intended targets, police said. One suspect has turned himself in while another remains at large.
Brian Campbell, 18, surrendered to authorities Monday night and is being held on a $1 million bond at the Robeson County Detention Center. He faces charges of accessory after the fact in connection with the death of Brandy Nicole Olson.
Meanwhile, police are still searching for Ezekiel Burden, 17, who is wanted for first-degree murder, discharging a firearm within an enclosure to incite fear, and going armed to the terror of the people.
The shooting occurred around 3:45 p.m. at the Woodforest Bank branch inside the Walmart on Fayetteville Road. According to police, the suspects were targeting two people they knew who were waiting in line at the bank when Olson, who was also in line, was struck by gunfire. Witnesses attempted life-saving measures while waiting for emergency services to arrive. Olson was transported to UNC Health Southeastern, where she was later pronounced dead.
“When he started shooting, the lady ran in front of him,” witness Steven Rumsey told WNCN.
Cellphone footage captured by a shopper inside the store recorded at least six gunshots. “The scariest s— I have ever experienced!” wrote Kayleann Brooke on Facebook. “With all the mass shooting happening I thought my life was over. It’s a feeling I never wanna experience again.”
Orlando Farrington, Olson’s boyfriend, and friend Cyndee Oxendine suggested she might have been targeted because she was carrying a large sum of cash at the time. Friends are planning a balloon release in her memory at Ruby Tuesdays where she worked.
City Councilman John Cantey Jr. told local ABC affiliate WTVD that his office has received numerous calls from concerned citizens about their safety during holiday shopping. “Our citizens are afraid. They are fearful of this holiday season,” he said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved 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 other shooting incidents have occurred at Walmart in the past few months.
- In Frisco, Texas, in November, a 22-year-old man was fatally shot at a Walmart located at Eldorado Parkway and FM 423. The suspect, also 22, was arrested shortly after the incident.
- On September 19, in Farmington, New Mexico a suspect was killed, and a woman injured during a shooting in the parking lot of a Walmart on West Main Street. The incident occurred around 12:30 p.m., leading to an ongoing investigation.
- A 71-year-old man was fatally shot in the parking lot of the Walmart near the Shops at Boardwalk shopping mall in Kansas City, Missouri in August 2024. A suspect was taken into custody a short distance from the scene.
These incidents highlight the ongoing concerns regarding gun violence at retail locations nationwide.
