Walmart Hit by Three Separate Shootings Within Hours

Walmart suffered a night of violence when the retailer was hit by three separate shootings within the space of two hours across the U.S. on Sunday evening.

Shots first rang out at a Walmart store in Cave Creek, Arizona, at around 5:15 p.m. A spokesperson for Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office told local news station Fox 10 Phoenix that “an adult male went into the store and had an argument with someone from within the store. The male then left the store and upon exiting the store, fired several shots at the store.” There were no reported injuries, but police have launched a search for the shooter after the incident at the junctions of Cave Creek Road and Carefree Highway.

Just 30 minutes later, a Walmart in Anniston, Alabama, saw a similar incident. Shots were fired outside the store on McClellan Boulevard at about 5:45 p.m. after an argument in the doorway spilled outside and spiraled out of control. WBRC 6 reported that two individuals were arguing when one, a man, opened fire. No one was hurt, according to reports, and there has not yet been word of any arrests, but the Walmart was closed as police investigated.

Not long afterwards—across the country in Pineville, North Carolina— a dispute between a Walmart customer and an employee turned potentially deadly when the shopper later returned to the store and shot the worker. The employee, who was attacked just before 6:30 p.m., suffered life-threatening injuries according to local channel WCNC. Another station, WSOC-TV, spoke to an unnamed witness off camera, who claimed the suspect was a man who had been trying to steal from the store when an employee remonstrated with him. Pineville Police Department have one person in custody, the channel added.

Newsweek is attempting to reach out to Walmart and the three police departments involved, to gather further information and seek comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more details become available.