I want video of the alleged shoplifter in the store, skipping the register and in the parking lot justifying death. If someone shoplifted or not, a crime was committed.

Disgusting story . . these "Security guards" used excessive force. Property theft does not justify putting a man in a choke hold and crushing his wind-pipe and causing internal injuries (he was bleeding from his nose and mouth).

If "security guards" are going to be allowed to kill then they should be deputized and subject to the same training and rules as law enforcement. This type of George Zimmerman type "justice" is an abomination.

You have no idea what you're talking abut T&L, since you don't know what really happened.

People need to read the story better.

The story clearly states he was in an altercation with Walmart employees AND a security guard. One of the employees is the one who put him in a choke hold, not the security guard.

Zimmerman ?? If Zimmerman is telling the truth (someone on top beating him) then he had every right, BIG IF.. Also big difference, & you KNOW this guy did not just say, ok cuff me. I do understand someone that may be a little gung ho, we just don`t know here yet, would love to see the vid inside & the one outside, that will tell the real story. Zimmerman put himslef in a bad spot by following the guy, & he may pay for that,but the law reads that at the point of being knocked out you have the right to use deadly force ( someone on top beating).. I myslef would not have put myslef there,, BUT finding myslef on the ground with this guy pounding on me,, sorry fokes but he would be dead.. Fighting for your LIFE at that point!!

Truth and Logic, that attitude is why crime is rampat in the US, the US is a nation of voluntary victims. We have decided that we will treat criminals with soft cooing noices ad they know it. Thereby they have no issues stealing and assulting society. 1: He was a crimnal, 2; his crime caused him to die! End story, everyone go on!

when you steal, you are telling me that your actions are worth the risk to your life. you should be stopped at "ALL" cost. you can bet that if the thief had killed the aprehender, he would have done it, to keep from being cought. and if not found out, would not have bothered his conscience.

Well, Learnt Hick (#1.1), you were right about one thing, a crime was definitely committed... by the shoplifter who was shoplifting! Or did you forget that that's a crime? But on another note, to both you and Truth&Logic (#1.2), I highly doubt the employees or security guard ever had any intention of taking the shoplifter's life, so let's bring it down a notch, okay?

Walmart this...Walmart that...BLAH BLAH...I'm not nuts about Walmart, but obviously these sorts of things happen elsewhere.

Yeah, but now there will have to be an investigation of the Walmart employees and the security guard. No money saved there.

The employees should have gotten the man's license plate and let the police handle it.

Well, Learnt Hick (#1.1), you were right about one thing, a crime was definitely committed... by the shoplifter who was shoplifting! Or did you forget that that's a crime? But on another note, to both you and Truth&Logic (#1.2), I highly doubt the employees or security guard ever had any intention of taking the shoplifter's life, so let's bring it down a notch, okay?

Alleged shoplifter. As to intending to take a life, actions often have unforeseen results, and civil liability will be determined whether the guilt of the alleged shoplifter is confirmed by video or not. Don't please lump me in with the travon madness though.....that was a stalking gone wrong, this is an attempt to detain a shoplifter gone wrong. I can wait for the courts to decide the facts of the case. One of the facts we have already is someone died. More facts will follow I imagine.

The thing that I find weird about the entire situation is the number of Walmart employees that would risk their lives to stop somebody from stealing a couple of DVD players. That is insane. The guy could've been armed.

"She said the security guard would no longer provide services for the store".

So, the security guard, doing his paid job, was what? In the wrong place at the wrong time? I didn't read anything involving the security guard.

I read that two employees of the store were sitting on this alleged shoplifter, and one employee used a choke hold.

Curious what Walmart's true policy is on handling the matter.

Anymore you are damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Perhaps this is why people don't get involved in helping others anymore.

Who were the employees and security guard helping? The Waltons? The WalMart shareholders?

Sheriff for the King when it's Working time?

If you like it or not he is still a human being and member of a family and no one should lose their life over DVD players. The employees and guard went to far and should be held responsible for their actions no matter what it was he was stealing.

Two things come to my mind. First, he was stealing TWO DVD PLAYERS, not exactly life essential stuff like food or clothes which puts him in the hoodlum category to begin with. Not only is he a hoodlum, but a greedy one at that to steal TWO of them. Second, your self esteem must really be low to have to steal for gifts if that is what he was doing. The man walked out his door knowing what he was doing. You liberals out there need to stop coddling hoods, cheats, and thieves. It is what got them in the White House and Congress to begin with.

His family won't have to shop at Walmart anymore...they will be heading to Saks 5th Avenue after this lawsuit. In no means am I picking a side, I just see dollar signs coming from this incident.

I recently witnessed an altercation in a Walmart where the staff were completely out of line. I did not see evidence of any training, and if they gave training they sure do not reinforce it.

A young couple tried to pay for merchandise with a $100 bill, and when the manager was called to authenticate it, he walked away with it without saying a word and did not come back. They paid for their things with other money and then went in search of the manager who had disappeared into a nearby office, and I could hear them demanding that he return the bill. Ten minutes later when I walked by it was still going on and it seemed that the managers had decided it was counterfeit and intended to confiscate it but when the couple would not accept that and insisted it be returned to them they called the police. This is where the weirdness started.

I was shopping in the area by the office so I saw and heard a lot. They were basically harassing this couple, calling them thieves and criminals, telling them they were going to jail and at one point when the woman tried to take the bill and leave one of the managers pushed her. This went on for over half an hour. I am surprised the young man did not start swinging at them. Finally the police showed up and the bill was genuine, just old so it did not pass all their tests. No apologies or admission of wrongdoing, just cr*ppy behavior to two perfectly innocent people.

The two managers involved were complete creeps and should have been fired on the spot - their behavior was bizarre and uncalled for. Whatever training they are doing is not very good.

Jake, I noticed out of all the replys yours was collapsed. So I opened it and read it. You are one of the few clear thinking people who has posted on this article. It sickens me to see so many beeding hearts who stand by the side of the man who was the shoplifter. I also wonder if these same people would have cheered had it been on of the employees or security guard who had been killed. Does the taking of a couple DVD players warrant the taking of his life....No. But had he NOT taken them in the first place, or had just handed them back in the parking lot and not resisted, this wouldn't have happened. The security guard was trying to protect the assets of the store to which he was assigned as were the associates. Had they done nothing management would have fired them for that as well. This was a no win situation.

For every Action, there is a Reaction. If you don't want to pay the price of the Reaction, don't do the Action.

Great story, I want to hire the guard!

ALLEGED shoplifter... It's innocent until proven guilty here in America fellas, sure hope none of you are ever ACCUSED... 2 black fridays ago I was accused of shoplifting, got roughed up pretty good too, and never received an apology after they found out my cashier had simply run out of bags. Definitely not worth his life

makes one wonder how many aged, infirm or challenged folk get ripped off with the old counterfeit scam?

The Manager of the store takes your bill you track him down and he says whoops counterfeit and tells you he's confiscating it. Hmmm.

A suspected shoplifter died early Sunday after a confrontation with Walmart employees and a security guard in the store parking lot in Lithonia, Ga

I'm just surprised that Walmart employees that get paid minimum wages with no health insurance are even risking their lives to stop a suspected thief that stole 2 chinese made cheap dvd players. Risking your life or getting possibilty disabled or hurt is not worth it. Just so Walmart can get more $$. Especially for a employer that is not known to take care of the employees.

Dianna Gee, a Walmart spokeswoman, released a statement Sunday saying that both employees had been placed on paid leave. She said the security guard would no longer provide services for the store.

It wont be long before those employees get fired too. Not worth it. Especially a crappy employer like Walmart.

Well at least this is one less thieving scum shoplifter out there. Sad that a couple of loyal employees will lose their jobs. That is a good deterrent from stealing...steal at your own risk!

jhuggard:

I hope I don't ever have all of you bleeding hearts on a jury if I harm someone when their breaking into my home.

First, he was not breaking into Walmart, as the doors are open to everyone. It's a big difference between someone breaking into your home uninvited and being invited.

The guy is a thief...

Second, and you know that to be an undisputed fact how?

It's people like you that make putting your trust (and life) in the hands of our jury system such a crapshoot.

Wlamart is only allowed to steal from their employees. Try to life merchandise, and they will kill you.

It's surprising that so many people cheer the death of a shoplifter but when the banks and corporations rip them off, throw them out of work, and crash the economy, not a word is said.

I am constantly surprised at how brainwashed most people are. Now I understand why those people followed Jim Jones to Guyana and drank that kool aid.

Don't be so quick to attempt to justify this death as a shoplifter crime... 1) the victim could have paid for the items back in electronics and bypassed the main counters.. 2) even if the 2 DVDs were stolen, that is a case for the police and courts to decide, not WalMart Employees to act as Judge, Jury and Executioner.. 3) The physical altercation with the Victim (and yes, he is still a Victim) was to the extent of causing unconsciousness and blood in the mouth and nose... That is excessive by any standard...

My question is.. WHY WEREN'T THE WALMART EMPLOYEES, ESPECIALLY THE ONE WHO PERFORMED THE CHOKE HOLD, ARRESTED, ALONG WITH THE SECURITY GUARD? They were not officers of the court, nor did there appear to be any indication their own lives were in danger.

The Walmart Spokesperson basically stated, these three individuals went beyond what was expected to detain a possible criminal and they did not "disengage" when human life was involved. The "Choke Hold", which obviously crushed the man's wind pipe, was enough to prove that.. Excessive force to harm is "Intent" under any court of law... The WalMart Employees and Private Security Guard have no special privileges to escape the judicial process. A man died and these three people were involved, that warrants an arrest until the District Attorney and Courts decide on the level of foul play involved... Plain and Simple!..

This is a case of Manslaughter.... no matter how you slice it or what the circumstances are...Excessive force was used to detain a "Alleged Shoplifter"; which led to the death of the person... A person's life for a 30 day jail sentence or six months probation and fine seems a little steep to me... But, perhaps civilization has reached the point where any minor crime warrants and justifies killing someone...

If you people think that.. It's time to throw away the courts and go back to rounding people up and feeding them to the lions... At least the ancients didn't pretend "barbarianism" wasn't the rule of the day.

I, for one, hope criminal charges are brought against the Walmart Employees and the Security Guard. And whether the DVDS were paid for or not is academic, excessive force was used to kill a man. I hope the Victim's family sues Walmart and everyone involved within an inch of their pocketbooks.... If Walmart trains their employees to attack people they "think" might be stealing; and excessive force is used, then Walmart should pay the price.... Judicially and Financially.... Plain and Simple!

This is part of the problem in this country. I cannot believe that their are so many opinions on this. the facts will come to light. it is not up to us to decide what happened here. This is what happens when there is so much hype given to shopping on the day of a major holiday. i believe that the people in this country have their priorities all screwed up. Just like paying actors and athletes millions of dollars and paying medical professionals and emergency workers practically minimum wage. Something will give eventually, things like this will become more common place. To walmart management i would say that you need to be more cognizant of what is going on in your stores.

TRUTH&LOGIC. Obviously you have no idea what a choke hold is. First of all, a choke hold, (which is actually a "sleeper hold"), does not "crush" the windpipe as you stated. It simply cuts off the blood supply going to the brain via the carotid arteries. It only takes a few seconds to put someone out and even quicker if they are struggling. Even a small person, if they know what they're doing, can put out the biggest of people in just a few seconds AND without any permanent damage, unless they keep applying the hold for 3 or 4 minutes, then brain damage is likely to occur. He's dead, but I'll bet you the farm it isn't due to a crushed windpipe. Excessive force...maybe.

Ronzwyf above has analyzed the situation correctly.

I, for one, prefer not to shop at a store where employees and/or a Security guard killed a man in the parking lot. I would never step in a store like that. . very Dangerous place!!

P.S. Thank you for your morbid analysis on the chokehold Bonebreaker . . . just what people want to be thinking about when doing their festive holiday shopping!!

Truth and Logic.. My late husband was Marine Recon and a chokehold used excessively can and will kill. If administered at the right strength is CAN collapse the windpipe and easily snap the neck if pressure is applied from behind. Still this is a case for the courts to decide.... Not WalMart and their employees.

Yes this will be a major indictment and monetary lawsuit. This will cost Walmart millions instead of the 60 bucks for the two players. Walmart understand liability and does not condone this type of action. Security should have ask the man to stop and cooperate and when he didn't photographs should have been taken of the individual and his automobile. The police would have made short thrift of this and nobody would be dead or facing serious charges and lawsuits. The two employees should have backed up the security guy but nobody should have "touched" the suspected thief. Off duty police officers working a side job, that's a different story they have the right to arrest and detain suspects of a crime.

wall-mart steal's job's from this country...and lowers our standard of living with their cheap product's...being made over sea's...they encourage off shore'n for low prices...so they can make big money for the walton's....they suck...steal'em blind this holiday season...those food stamp workers they employ...are a little over dedicated weasel's...their trained to call each other associate...like little monkey worker's...

Walmart is by far the most aggressive company to convict shop lifters. Put that aside and if you know the location, Lithonia, GA is a pit hole. It is rampant with crime and a really poor town on the outskirts of Atlanta. He shoplifted 2 DVD Players, not DVD's, kinda hard to hide and if the guy had a recieipt then he could have shown it to the employees and guard. This got out of hand and he shouldnt have died, so no excuse there, but I am not suprised with the type of people in Lithonia.

Ronzwyf: The "Choke Hold", which obviously crushed the man's wind pipe, was enough to prove that.."

--------------------

Say, you have a real talent there: IRM. Just think of all the savings that could be harvested by hiring you and getting out from under the need to maintain Coroners and their staffs. Instant Remote Autopsies would be an immense benefit to numerous local jurisdictions.

Will be interesting to see if MSN got the facts right when trying to be the first to report.

Two scenarios-

1) the guy is a shoplifter and WAS stealing and got roughed up. This would be his own fault. I am sick of the POS in the USA trying to get something from nothing- especially near big cities.... Kill more of these types of people....thieves that is....Lets leave it at that.

2) the guy legitimately paid for the merchandise and one employee and guard killed him before he had a chance to produce his receipt......... NOT likely but still is plausible.

Will wait until tomorrow to see from another news outlet to compare to MSN's mostly spotty reporting.

WONDER HOW MUCH MSN PAYS THEIR EMPLOYEES? HOPEFULLY MORE THAN WAL_MART??

Anyone know? Let's compare the average employee wage to see...

If he has any living relatives Walmart is in for one hell of a lawsuit. When you become a member of any retail store's security team, the first thing they teach you is to not apprehend the individual yourself if he/she resists. They always preach that no merchandise is worth a person's life. You take steps to subdue the individual, but the moment they resist or attempt to leave you have to let them go. Simply collect as much evidence as you can and let the cops handle the rest.

If we kill shoplifters, can we please also kill people who want shoplifters killed?

I would vote for this.

Well, I think that the only fact we know for certain, is that we don't know many facts yet. We'll all have to wait till the investigation is done, the tapes are watched, the interviews are done - then we'll have an idea as to what the facts are.

That all being said; the person ultimately responsible for this death is the shoplifter. There is a thing called 'felony homicide' - so a death that results in the commission of a crime is the criminals fault, even if it's not intentional. The thief initiated the whole chain of events, and everything bad that happened flowed from his bad decisions.

Don't get me wrong - obviously we don't want Security Guards (or even highly trained Police Officers) to be Judge, Jury and Executioner on the spot - and it may turn out that the Walmart Employees or the Security Guard maybe did step way over the line. However, if a Officer tackles a thief and he's injured in the process, that's the thief's responsibility. It's not the Government's responsibility, not the Bank's, not the President's, not the Walton's - it's the thief's responsibility.

Sad thing here is Walmart will pay big bucks to his family rather than taking the stand against thieves

So what all of you are stating is.... You had better not get ACCUSED of a crime, because if I ACCUSE you of theft and you resist, I have the right to KILL you. That's BS and you know it. Here, punishment is supposed to fit the crime. Nowhere does it say that somebody should lose their life over a couple of cheap DVD players.

WalMart policy is to REPORT the offense and to not get involved if it puts employee's, or the accused, in danger. Period. Of course, they don't follow that policy. WalMart employees act like thugs, they WILL put their hands on you even though it is "policy" not to do so. I paid for an item and walked out of the store and the chime went off, I was accosted by three WM employee's and a security guard, MY PAID FOR, OWNED, property was taken from me and I was "detained" even though I only had a couple of items and I had the receipt. When I (willingly by the way) walked back into the store, the chime didn't sound, but it did when the manager carried the sack in with him (the sack with two items and the RECEIPT for said two items). That is when I got pissed, they refused to give my items back and wanted to search me, I said NO and that's when it was on. One guy grabbed me and I twisted away and had to back up through the store to the door fighting off the other two. I finally managed to get my phone out and call 911 and I informed the manager that he had two choices, charge me with something or let me go, and when I go, I'm taking the ITEMS THAT I PAID FOR WITH ME. Since real officers were now in route, he backed off, but still wouldn't return my bag. The checkout clerk saw what was happening and tried to tell him twice that she forgot to clear my electronics purchase. He ignored her the first time, then yelled at her to go back to her station. The second time she tried to explain, he yelled at her to go to his office. (I don't know if she quit or was fired, I've never seen her there again) After all the yelling he #1. looked at the items, matched them to the receipt (which should have been enough right there), #2. got a scanner, scanned the items to make sure that they showed up as what was on the receipt, #3. looked at the packages to make sure that they were unopened and what was in the package matched the description on the outside of the package, #4. took them over to the checkout station where I purchased them at and ran them over some scanner/box area that beeped, he then ran the items over another flat box shaped area and it briefly beeped, he then ran them through the first scanner/box area and it didn't beep. He looked at me confused, then tossed the items on the conveyor belt area and walked off. No apology, no explanation, nothing. The officers had arrived at this point and came in the store, the security guard told them that it had been handled and the officer asked me if I was ok. I said yes so they escorted me (in a polite way since I did NOTHING WRONG) out of the store and to my car, gave me their cards (has their badge # and name and contact info on it) and told me if I needed anything further to contact them and then stated that they couldn't be a witness to the event but told me if I wanted to pursue it further I should contact a police detective in the morning.

Yeah, and you people are defending this overzealous scum with a god complex WM employees. Oh, I get it, what the thief did was wrong, lock him up, arrest him, etc. But death? Over DVD players? That is not "bleeding heart" "treat the criminals with kid gloves" bs, that is make sure that the PUNISHMENT FITS THE CRIME.

And to answer another posters question, I have not seen one post, not even one sentence, that would "cheer" if it was a WM employee or the guard that got hurt. That is asanine to even suggest that somebody would be happy that somebody else got hurt. Even in my situation being jumped at the front of the store, I still wouldn't want harm to come to jerks. Name-calling (Yeah, I know it's childish, but it made me feel better), suing the store if I had actually been hurt, yes. Death, no. Not the employee's, guards, or the thief.

denver bill 2, how does it feel to be the only SANE person commenting on this entire thread?

Todd, you are wrong AND stupid. It doesn't matter WHO was originally "at fault" - there is no provision under the law that allows you to kill someone for stealing - well - ANYTHING. Idiot. I am surprised at very little any more - but I am truly shocked at the number of inbred hicks who think that taking a life over 2 lousy DVD players is ok. As if ANY ONE of you has never done something wrong - and if you have, then by your own (lack of) logic, you deserve to die for it. Drive tipsy? Die. Lie to your mother? Die. Smoke a little weed? Die. Cheat on your tax return? Die. You are all animals who would surely condemn the Muslim zealots in Afghanistan or Irag because they do not value life. And yet you are no better. What amazingly hypocritical disgusting pigs.

A choke hold or better known as submission hold if properly used does restrict blood to the brain through the carotid arteries in the neck. If improperly used, it can cause death by strangulation by crushing the throat and or brain damage from restriction of blood to the brain for too long.

The facts were not made clear in terms of proofs. This, again, is typical of the lousy Journalism we get today (and, of course, not new in the ages of human interactions). There are so many alternative to the REAL causes.

Has no one reading this shopped Wal-Mart's, and gone to several different departments and loaded up the pushcart? Think about it because this happened to me once. At check-out the clerk didn't notice the item on the bottom level as she emptied the cart, nor did I. I paid what she totaled and and I paid the total as they were bagged. She put them into the cart I'd used and I pushed it into the parking lot.

I guess I was lucky none of the sales folks attacked me. But the one who'd checked me out did notice the item, unwrapped, at the bottom push cart level as I left. She ran after me and very courteously said she'd missed the item. I cooperated, of course. Problem solved.

We don't know the facts preceding the situation the news is reporting, but I feel strongly that using that life-threatening protest is outrageous even had the incident been an actual theft. Two DVDs??? That's worth a man's life?

At the same time, I'm impressed by the woman who is Wal-Mart's spokesperson. She clearly dealt with the matter. And yes, in answer to you folks here, who, I suppose, can only see dollar signs. You could be right.

But dang. I hope not. There's such a thing as overkill. Don't you think? Should the man have died for the event? No, absolutely not. Should his loved ones profit from it. NO! I really believe that should not happen.

When my son was killed by a car which hit him while he was crossing the street with the light in the cross walk, so many people said "file a lawsuit." I couldn't bear it!!!!! Not even the idea of it. I did not ever want to make money on my son's death. It was repulsive to me.

Money, pieces of paper, can never replace a loved one's, who's death has happened been caused. Revenge? That's the height of demeaning him.

It's a devastatingly shallow reaction and it repels me.

Ronzwyf (and SecondSight) . condolences on the loss of your loved ones. As a woman also, I can say that I could never shop at a store where store staff caused the death of a man (or woman, thief, accidental or not) in the parking lot. Its that simple for me.

The prices may be cheap but Human Life is Not.

It disturbs me that so many advocate or praise death for a minor crime. Makes the Middle East look down right liberal for just cutting off a hand. Why do so many here have a bloodust and want to see death as a punishment for shoplifting?

WOW! -- this must be a HUGE Walmart store to hold all you folks who were there and saw it all. (Even if you were there, we all know that eye-witnesses never all see the same thing.)

I know - why don't we just wait until the investigation is completed (altho this is podunk GA; who knows how that might turn out). Perhaps the cops can at least determine if there truly were some DVD players in the man's possession. Also, being Georgia, would be interested in some additional facts about the make-up of all the people involved. Soooooo, be patient. And try to remember, IN AMERICA, one is innocent until PROVEN guilty.

Regardless of most of the idiotic comments on both sides posted here, this is going to cost Walmart some big bucks!

I only have a low opine of Wal-mart security. I retired from a federal LEO job. Twice I have been in Wall mart and now they try to sell a bag for merchandise . I don't use their bag or anything. I bought merchandise and as walking out door some old fart in plain clothes grabs me and tries to detain me without any words identifying his self. I grabbed him in a wrist lock and took him down to his knees and produced a federal badge and politely informed him he had just assaulted a federal LEO. I also know a hold taught me in Special forces where you grab a subject with both arms with his neck inbetween forearms and you apply pressure. It stops subject instantly as they feel the pressure. If you want to terminate the subect all you do is just give a jerk and it separates the vertebrae and pops spinal cord.

I am not a shop lifter but if those over zealous rent a cops attacked me without probable cause I will defend myself. It has to be Wal mart directing their rent a cops to use lethal force on a kid stealing a piece of bubble gum. Or if any of the security ever took a course to be a security officer then they know that you are never to use force protecting property. Also the use of any physical force is to protect yourself or others from death or physical harm. One occasion I arrested a over zealous casino security guard who had a PC 25 after I asked him if he had the proper certification to carry such a weapon and he didn't. I released him to custody of local police who cited him for being in possession of a illegal weapon a PC-25. That is a baton with side handle. Obviously I don't go into Wal mart anymore. If I do I will be packing...

ToddC:

However, if a Officer tackles a thief and he's injured in the process, that's the thief's responsibility. It's not the Government's responsibility, not the Bank's, not the President's, not the Walton's - it's the thief's responsibility.

And whose responsibility is it when someone is killed based on a suspicion, but is found to have been innocent of theft or their identity was mistaken?

"Sorry for the boo boo" has never been, nor will ever be sufficient.

Ok, the gentleman was stealing. He was caught by employees and a security guard. There was an altercation. The alleged shoplifter dies. Sad for everyone involved.

I worked at an Albertsons years ago and some of the shoplifters we caught got the crap beat out of them. Yes, it was wrong. But, you don't kick the heck out of the guy trying to steal diapers. Usually it is the smart alec who is resisting that gets it bad.
Security guards and store employees are usually not trained professionals and get keyed up real easily during the holiday season. Loss prevention is terrible this time of year and these places will hire anybody to play security. In some states they can stop them in the store, some states at the door and others the sidewalk/parking lot boundary.

A diligent and aware community combined with better training for the employees and cases like this would be even less heard of.

Trying to get 2 DVD players is and act of desperation or greed, maybe both. Very sad and tragic indeed... Very tragic if they find a receipt in his pocket..

after reading these posts, I can't help but wonder if any of you actually live in america. First of all. Crime is not "rampid" in America. If you bother to check FBI stats, it's actually lower. Second, I may be a little old fashioned, but i think the punishment should fit the crime. Last time a looked at the law, death was not an appropriate punishment for theft. Third, it's nice to see that half of you are totally void of any human compassion what so ever, I'm guessing you might be republicans. And yes, some of you are right, we don't know if this guy actually did anything. If somebody robs a store event the owner has no right to use any force. you call the cops, get a plate number etc. etc. But then again, if you think the value of a human life is worth less then a cd or two, don't worry, when you meet your creator, he will explain. As for American law, you cannot use deadly force if the person is in retreat. that means moving away from you. If the guy robed your house but is escaping through a window, you have no legal right to use your gun.

“Associates are trained to disengage from situations that would put themselves or others at risk.”

Apparently not. It has gotten to be quite dangerous to shop in a Walmart.

In spite of bloggers opinions, the man didn't deserve to die over a couple of DVD players. Our judicial system doesn't execute criminals for misdemeanors. Besides, he could have bought the DVD players. The cashier could have been too thoughtless to tape the receipt to the box so security could see that they were paid for.

I'm ok with it. People stand by and let crime happen to often. If more crimes were stopped by normal people, the world would be a better place.

A shoplifter dies now and then? Better than people shoplifting with no risk.

I wonder how many of you people who think this guy should pay with his life for stealing a DVD player get all self-righteous and sanctimonious when the Taliban cuts off someone's hand for stealing a loaf of bread?

I think you need to go live with your own kind.

Heres' a nifty little trick so you don't get beaten by cops, thrown in jail, killed by cops or security guards.

1. Don't try to or succeed in murdering others.

2. Don't steal.

3. Don't operate heavy machinery under the influence.

4. Avoid physical altercations.

5. Don't break into the homes or businesses of others.

6. DON'T BREAK THE F'N LAW - HOW HARD IS THAT TO REMEMBER?

I'm not saying we should kill every thief but if they weren't thieves, they wouldn't have to worry about accidents like this happening in the first place so I'm not going to shed any tears. Thieves make the prices go up for those of us who actually to pay for goods and services. They make people worry about leaving their homes for extended periods, hell they make some people afraid to own nice things on the first floor of their homes.

If this guy was stealing a couple gallons of Milk, OJ or a loaf of bread I'd probably have a whole lot more sympathy but multiple DVD players aren't essential for living.

Thief or not those are some dumb ass employees and guard. They have no legal right to do what they did. A tag number,call to cops and video was all they needed. This dudes family will come out of this well off.

Somebody seems to die On Black Friday at some Walmart every year. Last year somebody got trampled to death.

What happened to innocent until proven guilty? There are so many here who seem to leap to the conclusion this guy got was what coming to him, I'm terrified of the implications for us as a nation.

We have terribly cheapened human life.

The individual was "suspect" not proven. The death was not merited period. A number of years ago the same thing happened at a Safeway in Tacoma WA. As a Safeway employee we were trained after that situation never to interfere with a shoplift. Since non interference has become an "industry standard" it would appear that Wal-Mart may be negligent in its training of its scab labor.

Get a grip...this isn't about a common thief. It's because 'Walmart' is in the headlines. Good Grief.

...it would appear that Wal-Mart may be negligent in its training of its scab labor.

When you're only paid $8.00/hr to struggle to feed and raise your family and must supplement your employer provided health insurance with government medicaid because the benefits are so poor and $8.00/hr isn't enough to cover the high deductibles/high co-insurances, job importance is last on the list of ones concerns.

“No amount of merchandise is worth someone’s life,”

It comes down to perspective. The store spokesperson thought that shoplifting shouldn't be worth a person's life. However, the criminal thought it was worth the risk.

How bout dropping the $300 a month cell phone plan?

It was shortly after 1:00am - in other words they had no way of telling in dim light, what kind of damage they were doing. I had to resort to putting someone in a choke-hold once - the person turned blue in a matter of seconds. I let go as soon as I saw him turn blue, thankfully it was mid day,so I could see what damage I was doing. He passed out for about 30 seconds - scared the @!$%# out of me - thankfully he came too. I only had the choke-hold on him for maybe 10 - 15 seconds max. I don't know who was more freaked out - he or I.

Looking back now I don't feel so bad - maybe because I still have a full circle scar on my wrist where he bit me - but had I seriously harmed him - I sure as hell would not be all macho and proud of my actions. I'll take my bleeding heart over being someone who killed someone - ANY DAY!

Don't ever use force unless you can see what your actions are doing to the other person.

I'm sorry he is dead, that is tragic. Don't Steal, nothing is worth stealing NOTHING. It's all junk and when you do die you can't take it with you.

I still believe in the constitution and a right to a speedy trial. You know the constitution, the thing that Obomination keeps ignoring, along with the people who voted for him. It is interesting that a convicted murderer sits in prison with air conditioning and three meals a day, thanks to me and you, but a guy takes a DVD and gets the death sentence by a vigilante judge, jury, and executioner. We are screwed. There are some walmart employees who should go to prison. What if the customer had actually paid for the DVD and these idiots were wrong? What if this had happened to your wife, or daughter or son? I am never setting foot in walmart again.

Patter123, I'm every bit as horrified when the taliban cuts off somebody's hand for stealing a DVD player... err, loaf of bread.

George PaulJohn, crime is rampant in America. It might be a bit lower today than it was before, in America, but we still have much more crime than any other developed nation, particularly violent crime.

Part of the reason security guards and employees attempting to prevent theft go overboard is because of the adrenaline created by FEAR. People who dismissively judge these employees by pointing out the obvious fact that stealing a DVD player does not warrant a death sentence are engaging in the liberal hypocrisy of sympathizing with criminals over the honest people who try to prevent crimes. Crime prevention isn't fun, okay? It's actually far too risky to be much fun, kind-of like war. Nobody does it for jollies, not even cops. The Walmart employees were apparently desperate enough to take a job at Walmart, so it's no surprise they are also desperate enough to take drastic measures to keep their pathetic jobs. It's unlikely this guy needed both DVD players, so he's probably planning to sell at least one, meaning the crime is not based on any "need" he thinks he has, but merely because he thinks he's above the law. Also, resisting arrest is something a criminal is more likely to do when armed.

I agree that Walmart will owe big for this, and that they deserve to. Hopefully, they will respond by better training their employees regarding how to handle such a situation, but I doubt the security guard and employees decided to beat up somebody who hadn't even stolen anything, just for kicks. He's only an "alleged thief" because people are innocent until proven guilty in America, not because there was a receipt in his pocket for the DVD players. However, if he was yelling "but I paid for them!" and they beat him up anyway, then I guess my hunches are incorrect, and the Walmart employees took that job hoping it would give them an excuse to kill somebody.

Dave1bg: Aren't you kinda forgetting the Patriot Act predating Obama??? And the following bills regarding the internet??

Good to be fighting for the Constitution. But the attack upon it, has be the only Bi-Partisain act they've been able to muster. Highly doubt Romney would have changed any policy involved.

Gee, that's too bad. While I think this incident demands a thorough investigation with charges pressed and employment termination if warranted, I won't get too worked up over a criminal career coming to an abrupt end, especially if the perp had a hand in his or her own demise (such as by assaulting an associate when confronted about stealing).

We had a mother / daughter shoplifting team drown trying to flee authorities a few months back, I didn't believe that warranted charges and this probably won't, although I think a review of ALL evidence available, including store and parking lot security footage, should determine the final outcome.

xrayspex:

...I won't get too worked up over a criminal career coming to an abrupt end,

Exactly what type of "criminal career" did this man have, since you seem to know him so well.

Theft, if that IS what what was happening (and it normally only gets punished after a trial) is NOT a death penalty offense. Placing someone in a coratid artery choke hold is homicide!

Next time a cashier shortchanges me, I'll respond with lethal force.

I know I'll get a whole lot of respect and sympathy on Newsvine.

Obviously the guard didn't mean to kill him

That's a big assumption don't you think?

"People who dismissively judge these employees by pointing out the obvious fact that stealing a DVD player does not warrant a death sentence are engaging in the liberal hypocrisy of sympathizing with criminals over the honest people who try to prevent crimes." - I have already stated that I don't have much sympathy for a thief, but killing a person over DVD players was just plain stupid, and wrong. I am not a hypocrite, nor am I sympathizing with criminals over innocent people. But then again, those employees aren't innocent. They KILLED somebody. You stated that the thief must have thought he was "above the law". What, like the employees didn't think the EXACT SAME THING when they jumped on him. They must have thought they were and that they could handle it without proper training or authorization to do so. They apparently felt as though they didn't have to wait for the proper authorities to arrive and handle the situation. Their job was to report this guy, not kill him. Big difference. Oh, and I have seen plenty of court cases where FEAR is no excuse. If you were AFRAID, you should/could have ran the other direction, to more cameras, lights, people, and safety.

I am in no way excusing the thiefs actions. Yes, what he did ultimately got him into the position he was in. But it was the employees and the guard that crossed the line, used excessive force.

"Also, resisting arrest is something a criminal is more likely to do when armed." - If they thought he was armed, even more of a reason to CALL THE POLICE, not chase the guy into the parking lot and start an altercation. And yes, THEY started it, what he did was petty theft, what they did ended up killing the guy. They had plenty of information to get the guy already at that point, it's a WalMart for crying out loud. I bet they had video and stills of this guy from every angle, including what he took, when, how he took it (tried to stuff it under his jacket?, or tried to walk out like he purchased it?), what vehicle he got into, the tag number. I'd even bet that you could have made out the color, make and model of vehicle with a pretty close guess on the year and what direction he fled in.

A lot of people are so quick to point out that what he did was wrong, so compare the two.

- He stole DVD players for whatever reason (drugs, greed, your guess is as good as mine).

- They killed somebody (on purpose, accidental, doesn't matter really at this point, he's dead). And you can't use the excuse "He made me do it because he hit me!!" No he didn't make you do anything, he was running AWAY from you, you chose to pursue and that's not your job. You didn't have the city/state owned vehicle with the flashing lights, the training, the permit to carry a side arm, taser, cuffs, med kit, the dog, etc., etc.

I'll repeat what I stated earlier - ".... You had better not get ACCUSED of a crime, because if I ACCUSE you of theft and you resist, I have the right to KILL you. That's BS and you know it. Here, punishment is supposed to fit the crime. Nowhere does it say that somebody should lose their life over a couple of cheap DVD players."

Hey look, I'm not saying don't get involved. I'm not making excuses for criminals. I'm just saying that if you can do it without putting yourself, or others, in harm's way... or if you can do it without impeding the proper authorities ability to catch somebody, then fine, go for it. Get involved, try to help when you can, but for crying out loud, Use some common sense!

I was driving down Kansas Ave when I noticed a speeding minivan catching up to me from behind, quick, and I heard sirens. The minivan already had damage to the front end (when I went by later I noticed that it was from the driver's side front tire shredding and whipping around in the wheel well. It had ripped out the inner fender and that was hanging out, broke the headlight out from behind, ripped of the front bumper cover on the drivers side so it was hanging and dragging on the ground, the fender was torn up) I looked in my mirrors and this guy had about a block to a block and a half on a cruiser. I figured "Why not, I've got full coverage" so I cinched the belt and I didn't slow down and I held my lane. The guy was either A. Going to hit his brakes or B. Hit me from behind. I'm in a 2000 Durango 4X4 V8 (look at my pic, it also has the matching rear bumper and taillight guards), he's in a 6 (or 4) cylinder minivan. We are on a wide road, no pedestrians. lol, he hit his brakes. It slowed him down quite a bit. As the cruiser closed in I immediately pulled over and let him by (now the cruiser was right on his tail) and the guy pulled over about two blocks later. Maybe I helped, or maybe they would have caught him on their own anyway (probably would have), but the officer waved and smiled as I went by. I guess maybe the minivan could have tried to pit maneuver me (wouldn't have worked, I weigh so much more than that van that the most he could have hoped for was a push), he could have just went around me (no cars in oncoming lane) and at that point I would have just pulled over for the cruiser. Point is, I didn't risk anybodies life, I just slowed the guy down. I also didn't impede the cruiser/law enforcement in any way. I guess they could have shot me for being in their way. But if that was going to happen, it would have happened anyway because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, not because I didn't get out of their way fast enough. I'm glad they got caught. The next day they were in the paper. The minivan was a crack-rental and they were dealing out of it and they ran when an officer tried to initiate a stop. So I do try to help when I can.

I don't believe one has to die for stealing a couple of DVD players.

But, I along with many others, are sick and tired of criminals continuing to make me and others a victim because their ONLY deterrent is 6 months in jail or a fine or both.

That is NOT a deterrent to a thief. They will get out in six months and then steal again.

What is it going to take to come up with REAL deterrents for those who do not belong in our free society?

Is it going to take your daughter being raped and killed, your son being shot in a movie theater, your mother being abducted at gun point and robbed, your grandfather being shot randomly on the street because someone wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone?

When is it going to stop and HOW are we going to deter people from committing crimes - or ensuring the punishment truly fits the crime and they are no longer a part of society?

Sometimes I wish we could go back to the old days of the wild west - where justice was metted out by citizens and "the law" rarely came into play.

Oh, the good 'ole days...

When is it going to stop and HOW are we going to deter people from committing crimes

Sorry to say, but crime is as old as mankind and will never be deterred and go away; it's built into our DNA, thanks to our manufacturer.

Sometimes I wish we could go back to the old days of the wild west - where justice was metted out by citizens and "the law" rarely came into play.

Oh, the good 'ole days...

Those "the good 'ole days" included lynching and mob rule. Certainly not a time in history I would like to revisit.

Only law enforcement can do this to a person and get away with it.

Walmart will be sued for sure by his family...$$$$$$$$

Alive when he went in, alive when he went out, dead when they got him to the ground.

Guess the employees were thinking they can become hero's..was it worth a persons life?

Anybody ever go into a Walmart pay for there stuff not have the cashier take all the things off that set off the detectors and have them go off and have them stop you, check out what you bought go back through the detectors have them go off again and get stopped in the parking lot AGAIN to have them check out what you bought and have them bring you into the store AGAIN and accuse you of hiding something. I had them call the police to frisk me because I would not let them do it I told them if they so much as laid a hand on me I would press charges for assault. They even talk to the person at the front and the counter and found that one of the security tags was not removed on one of the electrical items I had paid for. It was too late at that point as far as I was concerned, it was charge me or compensate me, you have now embarrassed me. The door was fine but you now chased me and my wife down in the parking lot and have accused me. Their bad move was they grabed both me and my wife, the police told them they have no right to do that, that in and of itself is assault. That is why employees are told not to stop people from steeling but to report it. Their second bad move is that they detained me against my will.

Thieves will pick that store clean by the end of the week. They know none of the employees will risk their jobs to stop them, now. He will have died a hero, to his fellow lowlifes.

Look, this is Wal-mart. Why would any employee of that Communist company want to protect it ?

You have to feel sorry for the family of the person who was killed. For a lousy $200 worth of merchandise, they kill the guy.

I think there are some people who are itching to have an excuse to use lethal force. Kinda like that guy who wanted to shoot an intruder so bad that he killed his own son.

The bottom line is this...if he had never tried stealing..it never would have happened Walmart should counter sue...if he had never tried to steal it never would have happened..

The bottom line is this, what he did was petty theft. What they did resulted in a death.

Walmart should counter sue? For what? Their employees are the ones who couldn't control themselves.

Like in my situation, I paid for my items but was accused of theft and illegally detained, I had my property that I paid for taken from me. That is why we have laws and due process. If I hadn't got the upper hand towards the end, I could have been the one laying in the parking lot dead. It is their job to report what they feel is a crime at that moment. The system would determine the outcome. I'm amazed that people can't see that what the employees did was wrong, they killed somebody over DVD players.

if he had never tried to steal it never would have happened.. - No, if the employees would have done their job, he would have been arrested and they would still have their jobs.

Oh boo hoo hoo...boo hoo hoo....Another thug criminal killed trying to get away. Liberals unite to support the criminal and try to throw the Walmart employees in jail.

If you initiate the crime, then the consequeces are your own.

However, I agree that they shouldn't have used the sleeper hold....They should have used the figure four and made it hurt until the police arrived. Maybe the Lex Luger torture rack would have been good....Break his spine.

Time to stop feeling sorry for the criminals and start feeling sorry for the honest, hard-working, law abiding American citizens that are violated by these criminals.

Again, just where did I ever "support the criminal"? I haven't. My point has always been the same, the punishment should fit the crime. The fact that he was accused of something doesn't warrant a death penalty handed down by overzealous WM employees. You do something wrong, you get arrested, charged, found guilty or not guilty, if guilty you get sentenced. That is the whole point of having the criminal justice system. You get a trial. The punishment fits the crime. NOWHERE in that statement is any kind of "support the criminal" bs, NOWHERE in this statement does it state that you should "feel sorry" for the criminal. Nice try though.

As others have pointed out, death for petty shoplifting? What if somebody you know gets killed. You'd be off screaming JUSTICE! Death for petty crime, I know plenty of teenagers that have committed petty crimes, your saying they should all be dead? What about the person that leaves something on the bottom level of the cart, technically, that is theft. They took something and didn't pay for it. You think that they should be jumped and sat on, killed over less than $200 worth of junk. That is why we have due process. That is why we have courts to hand down sentences, not thugs in a parking lot. Does the system need work? YES. But at the moment, it's all we've got, so we make due with what we have.

If you initiate the crime, then the consequeces are your own. - Again, take my situation. It was the same up to the "found dead in the parking lot" part. I was accused, detained, I showed my receipt, and they STILL had something to prove. This guy was accused, detained, and dead. The only difference? I called the cops and was able to fight them off. But at the beginning, it started out EXACTLY THE SAME. If they would have got the upper hand and sat on me and killed me, would you be saying the same thing? No, you wouldn't. Especially since the receipt for the merchandise was WITH THE MERCHANDISE. Yes, I paid for my stuff so I left, if I hadn't I would have been arrested and then left in the back of a cruiser and that is how it should be.

Paws:

Another thug criminal killed trying to get away.

And you got your fact of his guilt from where? Picking it out of your derriere doesn't count.

Walmart creates the whole air of panic, rush and crazy...they create situations where people get frantic and trampled, and pay their employees caca...perfect storm...crazed environment, late night over tired, underpaid (you get what you pay for) employees, what do you expect?

(Not sure, but I'm guessing there might be bonuses for catching shoplifters?)

I'm not a thief but I look unusual....that is dangerous enough so I'm not a thief. Think

It's possible that the person who was responsible for the death may not be arrested and tried but; since a security guard doesn't have anymore arrest power than an average citizen it would depend on whether the court thought he used "reasonable force" in detaining the man that died. If the court decided that he used excessive force he could be charge with manslaughter.

Gee slackr, why don't we just hang pickpockets again? Worked so well in England, after all...

As far as I know, shoplifting is not a death penalty crime.

Maybe the shoplifter attacked the guard.

slackr--are you from Saudi Arabia? They cut off shoplifters' hands when caught. Is that not severe enough of a punishment to you?

Do you ever speed? Should your legs be cut off for doing so?

Store employees have no right to physically confront anyone, all they can do is retain someone if they voluntarily allow it, and call police, they don't have the right to physically restrain ANYONE. Hope they throw the book at them and the rent a cop. They way over stepped what little authority they have.

@ Steve

Yeah, I speed & if I get caught I pull over & cooperate with the cop & accept my ticket. Then I pay my ticket & then take driver improvement online to avoid getting points on my record.

I don't get into a high speed chase with the cop trying to pull me over. I also don't pull over & jump out of my car & start fighting with the cop & then blame the cop if I get my face beat in.

If this guy was innocent all he had to do was cooperate with them when they tried to stop him & produce a receipt showing that he had paid for all of the items he had. It would have been over & done with but that isn't what this guy decided to do was it?

Killing pickpockets/thieves is excessive. We should merely cut off their hands, so that they won't steal again in the future. GO BIBLE THUMPERS.

slackr--You were there?

You make all kinds of assumptions, but you really don't know.

Either way, the punishment doesn't suit the crime.

If he were shoplifting which is against the law, then it would be within the rights of the security guard to stop him. The same thing happened at our mall and the store manager was chasing this lady who was shoplifting and grabbed her ankle and made her fall. Then she claimed she was pregnant and the fall could have hurt the child. She shouldn't have been shoplifting if she was thinking about the child.

The same applies to the shoplifter. He knew what he was doing was against the law and he did it anyway and now the guard is in trouble. Something is wrong with this picture.

@Stupified, the average citizen does have arrest powers, if it's a felony. It's called a "Citizen's arrest." And not all security guards are just guards, there are police officers that work as security during the holidays, although that's not mentioned here. I was an armed security officer for 4 years in public housing, and while I did not have arrest powers, I was expected to detain any lawbreakers until arrival of sworn officers. And I did, multiple times.

New Walmart Warning: Shoplifters--Wanted Dead or Alive!!!

Murder charges are in order. And Wal-Mart will face a civil suit, and they will pay big time. The Wal-Mart spokeswoman knows this, and that's why she repeated the line about Wal-Mart employees being trained not to do this sort of thing. Well, a brush up for employees is needed on the training program.

First of all, this individual was accused of shoplifting. That is not a "shoplifter" but merely a suspect; that annoying Constitutional protection of due process stumbles you up there. Secondly, the law is clear on the shopkeeper's privilege, one with reasonable suspicion may reasonably detain for a reasonable period of time to investigate if the suspect has committed the crime. A choke hold is not reasonable upon the facts set forth here, particularly since the law does recognize that a life is more valuable than a DVR. Property crimes are treated much differently than crimes against a person. No fact was set forth here to support that the suspect, not shoplifter but "suspect," had a weapon, used life-threatening force, or any other act that would breach the threshold of a petty property crime. Your emotions may lead you to cheer lead in this instance, but the rule of law is what will determine the outcome.

While I am confident that there are facts in the instant case that were not promulgated here and may likely alter an analysis, on it's face as it published here, the gentlemen that applied such force may be looking at some unpleasant legal consequences in the aftermath.

We have a legal process wherein those who commit crimes are punished. It is long-standing and intended to protect the innocent as well as punish the criminal. When we forgo that process, eliminate the enshrined Constitutional protections, and avoid the rigors of applying justice equally and procedurally, we go to a scary place where, ultimately, none of us would be safe. The founders, having recently escaped such an environment, were wise enough to recognize how to avoid those perils and, through great sacrifice, delivered those abilities and procedural tools to the generations that followed. How easily you would toss them aside.

No one knows if this derp had a health condition even he was unaware of. The remedy is easy, don't steal and you won't be put in that position. Personal accountability, get over it, liberals. Get over it, or start pooling all your money to buy dvd players for disadvantaged people. I won't hold my breath on that one. In my state, county social services will pay your rent, electricity, and your cable. Thats befoe the state and the feds offer their handout...then the real holiday season begins...tax time, where I get to watch people who have put nothing in the system get 10, 12, 14 grand in cash because they lay down and have kids while they are broke and on the system.

That a choke hold was applied is in the article. Until the autopsy, there is no evidence that the choke hold caused, or even contributed, to this man's death. It is just as likely that all involved accidendtly caused his death by laying on him....which would prevent his lungs from expanding and blood would likely come from his nose and mouth. We do not have enough information to judge these people from this article. The ultimate consequences are difficult to understand, but, in the end, it is the shoplifter--if he indeed was shoplifting--that caused this to happen. An unfortunate ending...too soon to evaluate culpability based on what little information was provided. The choke hold was just the hook for this author....

Store employees and security guards do not have the legal power to detain anyone. They only have the power to follow the "suspected" perpitrator, notify police, give a description, ask for proof of the merchandise receipt and if it is stolen, request the merchandise be returned, and any other pertinent information like car description, direction they walked after leaving the store, or a vehicle License number. A security guard or any store employee is legally not allowed to touch, hold, or detain any person committing a crime, the same as you or I or any other person for that matter. Unless you are a sworn officer of the law, to detain, hit, or cause injury to a person, whether they just committed a crime or not is an assault and if a death occurs subsequent to the assault....that is manslaughter. These two employees are headed for big trouble. Not only criminal action, but civil accountability as well. Very unfortunate for everyone involved. No two DVD players from Walmart are worth a life or what these two employees are going to face now and what Walmart is going to have to pay out in civil actions to the man's family or next of kin. In the eyes of the law (whether you like it or not) the criminal is now the victim. And two guys thinking they were doing the right thing just changed their lives forever over 2 DVD players. Extremely unfortunate....I feel worse for the two employees than the shop lifter right now, but this incident shows there was plenty of STUPIDITY shared between all three of them.

All the employee has to do is tell the judge, "Your Honor, he needed killing." The judge will take one look at any of the thief's previous mug shots and dismiss any and all charges.

This is going to cost Walmart more than what the stolen merchandise is worth and that is why their policy is to only follow the shoplifter until the police arrive.Nobody deserves to be murdered due to shoplifting.This guy was suffocated to death and had internal bleeding due to the rent a cop.We may all find out later that the guy paid for the merchandise and had the receipt in his pocket.

Wow, People!... So many of you trying to justify Walmart in this killing... and yes, it is a killing... Shoplifter or not, WalMart's extent of involvement ended if the victim offered any resistance.. They are trained to "disengage," take down the description of the man and license plate and turn those into police when they arrive. That did not happen..

I witnessed a similar incident in a WalMart parking lot in South Lake Tahoe a few years back. A customer and his wife, walked out of the store to their car. The husband was literally taken down and accosted by WalMart Employees who accused him of being a thief.. Slammed his head against the ground and told him the shoes he was wearing out of the store were stolen.. Bottom line, the man had a receipt in his pocket, he bought the shoes at a counter in the back of the store and put them on because his own were falling apart. How did WalMart respond to attacking the man and terrifying his wife?... he was told to "Get out of there and never come back to shop at that store."

Kind of reminds me of the old biblical saying, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." Until all the facts are in, the dead man is still a victim, the three involved should have been arrested until the court decided the level of intent involved in the death; and WalMart needs to be 200% sure a crime has been committed before sending out a testosterone driven improperly trained killing goon squad..

on the next episode of the waltons...see ya in court alice...see ya in court sam...see ya in court john boy...

Wow, people are just dying to shop at Walmart.

I'm guessing the laws for security guards must vary from state to state. I've worked as security guard here in Washington State and during training it was made clear that I could lay hands on another person only if I or another person's life was in danger. To do otherwise would leave me and the company I worked for open to liability lawsuits. If I did what these employees had done, I and the company I worked for would get sued, sued, sued. Unless a life is in danger it's strictly Observe and Report.

I doubt that we have all of the facts. Did the guy bleed to death? I doubt it as that would be a heck of a lot of blood real quick. Was he choked to death? Possible, although it doesn't sound like it. I suspect that the employees on top on him may have prevented him from breathing and the whole incident might have been too stressful for him and he had a heart attack or a stroke. Time will tell.

I do guess I have to wonder why Walmart hires security if they don't expect them to intercede when there is a shoplifter. Are they to say, "hey, I know you are walking out with something you didn't pay for" and just leave it at that? Anytime you try to stop someone from doing something there is some risk involved. I doubt that the Walmart policy really deals with this type of a situation. Sure, it probably says if it gets too dangerous then withdraw, but most situations don't fit into any specific category until it plays out. By then it is too late.

It sounds like Walmart needs to have a professional on it's staff at all stores that are fully qualified, such as a moonlighting police officer. But, that costs a heck of a lot more than $8/hr.

It sounds like Walmart needs to have a professional on it's staff at all stores that are fully qualified, such as a moonlighting police officer. But, that costs a heck of a lot more than $8/hr.

You get what you pay for to be sure.

I worked for walmart for 20yrs,they hire low class,immature security,they think its fun to hass and chase people they should be hit hard in the pocketbook,its all they understand,and force them to stop hiring cheap untrained security,I seem plenty of horror stores,even saw them chase and hold down a pregant woman.terrible place never shop at walmart anymore.

I think you're BS'ing us bg.

I can't say that I've seen video, or heard the entire story, but I have seen WalMart "security" gang tackle a suspected shoplifter at a local store. I'm with LearntHick - if it had been me on the receiving end of that kind of treatment, I'd have defended myse;f, no matter what I was suspected of.

A simple google search reveals that what these folks did will most likely turn into a multimillion dollar lawsuit against Walmart. Since the company is famous for extremely low wages and benefits, yet is still able to earn billions and billions for the top dogs, I say "Sue, sue, sue....then sue some more!"

While I don't agree with the shoplifter, I find it ironic that Walmart is in a position to judge. Their employees cost taxpayers billions of tax dollars to cover their employee's food stamps, health care, etc because they won't pay a living wage. Meanwhile, the Walmart heirs are worth billions of dollars for doing nothing more than popping out of the right mother.

Who is really stealing from whom?

For all the people jumping for joy over the death of this man, saying it is great, no sympathy, would certainly change their tune if it was a child of theirs, kids get caught all the time shop lifting at Walmart. Do ya think we should kill them all? The sorry little B's that steal. They're criminals and should be beat to death. What if it was your elderly and senile parent or grandparent, those freaking criminals are not suspects they too are pirces of garbage that deserve to die. Lot of idiots posting today. Yeah he was a suspected thief but he did not deserve to be murdered.

Just be certain, as the Walton's jettisons off to the Caribbean Cayman Islands to enjoy a lovely Christmas, their dutiful employees are fighting like Taliban to protect the minimum wage jobs.

With the cost of this lawsuit walmart could have hired full policemen at every walmart in the country for a year. And the damage to their reputation will be much more than any lawsuit.

Witchrunner, most Walmarts in metro Atlanta don't have the need for this kind of ramped up security. This incident happened in Lithonia - a once bucolic rural area that wasn't even considered part of metro Atlanta until the mid-1990s/post Olympics, when the urban influx from all over the country - and then Katrina refugees - turned that city and entire southeastern outer arc into a lowlife crime haven quasi ghetto, where police SWAT teams stay pretty much camped out somewhere. Out of a metro area of 6 million+, Lithonia and those surrounding areas, all throughout Clayton, DeKalb and Gwinnett, make up most of the local nightly news. They're the equivalent of south LA, south DC, south Chicago, etc... which is where a lot of the current residents came from - other than Mexico. I mean, right next door is the town of St. Mountain, which has a big bronze statue of Tupac Shakur in the middle of town. Seriously, the only surprise is that there was no gunplay or pit bulls involved. I'd bet the toxicology report will find drugs, alcohol and other substances in his system. This guy tried to steal 2 DVD players and thought he wouldn't get caught? Only because there are vast numbers of shoplifting-theft crime rings that operate in some sections of the metro area, so brazen they hit in broad daylight. I've a friend in area law enforcement who says it is just non-stop theft from retail stores by men, women, children - sometimes the whole family working together. Welcome south, brutha.

Sounds like you're just mad because your tag switching scheme didn't work.

I'm no thief, but thanks for playing.

That would be , "Boy, the death penalty for suspected shoplifing?"

Somebody seems to die every Black Friday at some Walmart--last year a customer was crushed to death when the doors opened.

What offends me as a lawyer is how many here assume the guy got what he deserved, leaping right past the legal presumption of innocence.

What terrifies me is the implication for us as a nation. How we've cheapened the value of human life!

At my residence, it's the death sentence if you get caught stealing and you become part of my land enrichment conservation program.

You may be well within your rights to behave this way. How about if someone tries to steal from you in a Walmart parking lot by posing as employees and security? I am always more willing to resist when I am innocent. And I am not really willing to be robbed by someone pretending to be attempting to stop a crime. The truth will out, but excessive force is likely one fact to be unearthed. Shoplifting remains to be seen and I want the video before I judge.

@ cunical

It is funny because I have the exact same policy at my house. If you decide to commit a crime then be prepared to deal with whatever happens to you.

You want to steal you can pay the price. As far a stealing under $500 not being a death sentence just break into my house and try to steal a nickle. MO has castle doctrine now so if I catch a thief in my house I am legally able to remove one worthless thief from this planet. The cops will come haul the thief off and thank me for removing another worthless piece of trash from his patrol area.

It depends on what state you live in what the felony limit is. In MD the felony limit is 1k, in VA the felony limit is $200. Looks like we have a bunch of people on here talking about stuff they have no clue about. @Learnt - You obviously had a bad run in with some wannabe cop at some point in your life but seriously, there are a lot of Loss Prevention associates (not security guards) who are trained on how to spot shoplifters and follow a strict 5 step process to ensure they a credible theft before they ever detain anyone. I have worked in the Asset Protection field for 4 1/2 years and I have never detained anyone without being 100% positive that they had stolen merchandise on their person. Sure, you get some gung-ho wanna be cops out there, but they quickly lose their jobs because they stop someone without having any proof. They are not idiots because they are Loss Prevention, they are idiots because they are idiots. Also, I have never been in a physical fight with a shoplifter unless they threw down on me first. At that point, I am allowed to defend myself and make whatever choice I need to make to ensure that I don't get injured, anyone around me doesn't get injured or the shoplifter doesn't hurt themself. Obviously the security guard or LP associate went overboard in their response to the shoplifter and they should have lost their job for it - possibly face other charges but the shoplifter shouldn't have been stealing in the first place. If the shoplifter hadn't stolen, he would never have been faced with the situation. Wrong was done while trying to stop wrong.

Those CD players were worth 10 dollars each at the corner of 1st & main just didn't make that far.

@ Learnt...You are espousing a lot of "ifs" that are in no way related to this incident. You can if until he!! freezes over, but, the facts of this case are not known in their entirety. Save your fantasies for your children's bed time stories. In spite of what you say, you have made it appear that you have already judged this as a case of excessive force. You may be right, but, the jury is still out on the real facts here.

There you go Matt 2 wrongs do not a right make.

And you know that....how?

Because the man wasn't breathing when the cops arrived. The only way they would have not known that he was no longer struggling was if they were stoned. or brain dead.

Some people stop struggling because they have given up. Some do so because they are dead. I'm not convinced that they knew he was dead. They just knew he was not moving. Kind of hard to tell in the thick of an altercation. The police didn't know he was dead until they tried to cuff him and he didn't resist. Apparently, there was an attention deficit disorder going on at the time.

LIZZZZZEEEA, thass whut dey will tal duh PO-LEEEEEESEmumz uno. fo sho den dey will 2.

Didn't you mean to say just another reason not to shoplift at Wal-Mart....

Agreed about the video. The facts of this will play out on our screens, or at the very least the screens in front of the wrongful death jury.

The whole thing could have been avoided if the clueless Wal-Mart employees had simply called the cops as they are SUPPOSED TO do. Do any of you think that the moronic "employees" might very well indeed have made a MISTAKE? DId it ever occur to you to you that YEAH, MAYBE THEY DID randomly select an innocent customer because THEY WERE WRONG in thinking he "shoplifted" something?

Doesn't matter if he was guilty as sin. Nothing justifies these rent a cops taking this guys life other than protecting their own and the story does not indicate that. They were clearly on a power trip.

@ Seattle

Ok. If the employees made a mistake then why didn't the innocent customer simply cooperate with them & show them that he hadn't stolen anything? Why didn't the innocent customer produce his receipt showing that he had paid for any items that he had in his possession?

But this guy didn't do that did he. No, instead he decided it would be better to start a fight in the parking lot with a couple of employees & the rent a cop. Oh well, looks like he lost.

But this guy didn't do that did he. No, instead he decided it would be better to start a fight in the parking lot with a couple of employees & the rent a cop. Oh well, looks like he lost.

Really, a shoplifter fighting when caught is like a duck laying eggs in the desert. It doesn't really happen. Run yes, fight no. If he was brave enough to fight he would have committed a crime with a descent payout and then just purchased what he wanted. Thinking these things through is not really to hard, and at least one person would be alive tonight if that had happened in one Walmart parking lot.

Oneslackr

The whole thing could have been avoided if the suspected shoplifter would have cooperated with the employees when they tried to detain him.

Why should I stop if I have paid for my merchandize? I've had the "theft" alarm go off in more stores after paying for everything on my way out and even on occasion on the way in, than I care to recall. I INVITE the day when any person besides a LEO detains me and I have not pilfered. Most states do NOT legally allow someone to detain another for non felonies, unless they are LEO, and even then it is a grey area. Even citizen arrests require a LEO be present ant the LEO does the restraining not the citizen.

@ Learnt

Oh please. I've seen plenty of video footage showing shoplifters fighting with store employees who tried to stop them & in most of the footage the employees have lost. Hell, when I was 16 & worked at a grocery store we had a shoplifter who came in & the assistant manager tried to stop him in the store & the shoplifter got into a fight with the manager & then was able to race out of the door & get into a waiting get away car. The manager actually jumped in his own car & chased them & was able to get their license plate number. So don't tell me shoplifters won't fight employees & try to get away.

You act like most criminals are some kind of masterminds or something who would only fight over some kind of big heist. Most criminals are as dumb as a box of rocks. Have you ever seen an episode of The World's Most Stupid Criminals? How about the guy who broke in through the ceiling of a convenience store that was open 24 hours/day & came crashing through the ceiling while 2 cops were in the store buying coffee.

What about the criminal who walked into a convenience store to rob it but then was too stupid to remember to pull on the front door to open it. Instead he kept pushing on the door & couldn't figure out why it wouldn't open. The cops got there & arrested him before he figured it out.

You can't make this stuff up...

@Oneslackr

Ok. If the employees made a mistake then why didn't the innocent customer simply cooperate with them & show them that he hadn't stolen anything? Why didn't the innocent customer produce his receipt showing that he had paid for any items that he had in his possession?

Oh, and you 'know' for a provable fact that anyone ever even asked him to "produce a receipt", as opposed to confronting him and attacking him? You can prove that?

You 'know' for a provable fact that the customer 'knew' who they were, as opposed to his thinking he was possibly about to be robbed? You can 'prove' that?

You saw the video footage yourself?

You interviewed the people involved?

Or maybe you just "a$$-sumed" facts that are not in evidence?

Typical Northwest Libtard. Yeah, most people who legitimately buy something run from security and fight with store employees. Go bow to your Cobain statue and wait for your SSI check you scumsucker. Waaaaaa, I'm from Seattle we are the best, Waaaaa, I dont want to work I'm an 'artist' waaaaaa, I cant do it on my own, I need Obamas help, Waaaaaa, they only steal because they are oppressed, Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

@MO...Wow...Still p!ssed off about the election, huh? Get over your rude, bigoted self. The election is over and your vote apparently didn't count. Not everything is about politics....Libtard? Seriously?

Be careful of what you doubt slackr. By the way is that avatar a picture of your sister, or mom, maybe you're a pole dancer and it's you. But Pal if you don't own the rights to that picture you may be breaking the law.

@MO-3341400

Typical Northwest Libtard.

Typical whining cowardly piece-of-garbage RePUG, still whining that you got your butt kicked in the elections. Tell me, how's it feel to know that the "Communist-Socialist-Marxist-Illegal-Immigrant-Kenyan-Muslim" Obama kicked your butt? So much for your "One and Done" B.S., huh?

Yeah, most people who legitimately buy something run from security and fight with store employees.

Oh. so now you can PROVE that he was 'running'? Got any evidence of THAT, either?

Let's review, shall we?

According to the DeKalb County, Ga., police report, officers arrived around 1:30 a.m. to find the employees on top of the middle-aged man...

So, in plain English, when the police arrived, the store employees were already piling on top of the man. Nobody saw the man 'running'. That's your "a$$-umption", isn't it?

Oh dear, reading and comprehension just aren't your 'thang', are they?

Go bow to your Cobain statue and wait for your SSI check you scumsucker. Waaaaaa, I'm from Seattle we are the best, Waaaaa, I dont want to work I'm an 'artist' waaaaaa, I cant do it on my own, I need Obamas help, Waaaaaa, they only steal because they are oppressed, Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Go whine and scream at your plastic Jesus statue and weep in front of your oil-on-black-velvet painting of Elvis's Last Supper. Go kvetch about "the Gub'mint" while you wait for your Medicare check. WHAAAA the polls were all 'rigged' and skewed. WHAAAA there were too many black people voting, that wasn't supposed to happen. WHAAAA there were 5 million "illegal immigrant" Hispanic voters. WHAAAA they didn't let us intimidate the black people and the brown people into staying home and not voting. WHAAAA, Obama gave out "gifts" to people, such as actually agreeing to adopt the policies they wanted. WHAAAA I wanna secede from America, WHAAAA I wanna live somewhere else but no one else on the planet will take me and everywhere else on the planet already has "commie" health care, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

I doubt it too. Any business knows it's a good idea to avoid death, it's bad for their reputation.

Stealing food is a desperate act of survival most times, hence shoplifters of food behave differently then shoplifters of DVD players, statistically speaking. Sometimes ducks lay eggs in the desert too, it just isn't normal behavior.

Territorial behavior from employees on the other hand IS normal. Put someone in a place for a few hours a day and they think they are at home with the rights of a resident.

The video will show what really happened.

@ Seattle...Sorry to see you stoop to that level. Gave you more credit than you deserve...my mistake. Our politicians are getting uber rich while we chip away at each other....Did you run through the most wealthy politicians article this morning? So long as they keep us at each other's throats, we won't be going for theirs. Who the he!! needs $500 million dollars? Are these the people we can bet on to represent or care about the middle class. Stop your whinning at Libtards and Republicraps....It is stupid and childish. How about we start asking our representatives...on both sides of the aisle to give back to the country that made them multi millionaires? This isn't even a political thread...but everyone has to get on their soap box and start blaming and name calling...Like that is going to help anything.....Cr@p.....

Colorblind-2498596

Please review the post to which I responded. In particular, please direct your attention to the following, which was directed at me:

Go bow to your Cobain statue and wait for your SSI check you scumsucker. Waaaaaa, I'm from Seattle we are the best, Waaaaa, I dont want to work I'm an 'artist' waaaaaa, I cant do it on my own, I need Obamas help, Waaaaaa, they only steal because they are oppressed, Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

I did not start making the discussion political. Someone else did, and I responded, appropriately.

When idiots make idiot decisions, then we can stop holding them accountable. How do you deal with a shoplifter? You call the fricking POLICE. You don't take the law into your own hands, you certainly do NOT put someone in a choke hold over some stolen items from a store. You take down the license plate number of the car, you take down their description and you call the police. Easy enough. Its these fricking "heroes" that think they're doing something good by taking the law into their own hands.

So if someone cuts me off on the highway, that gives me the right to kill them--according to your logic.

@ Steve

Really? To you stealing something that doesn't belong to you & then fighting with the people who are trying to question you about it is the same as someone cutting you off in traffic? I think you better check your logic.

@Steve-Doh

Yeah, if you try to kill me by running me off the road, I have every right to take you off this planet. Now go steal some batteries so you can sell them on the street to feed your meth habit.

Uh, Mo...Small error in your logic here. If you are dead because someone ran you off the road, how are you going to take anyone off the planet? Dead men don't kill anyone....ever.

Mo...Re read your post. My mistake. You said "try to kill me". Sorry...Please continue....

Time was when store security men or store managers would routinely blackjack someone who attempted to leave with stolen merchandise. Can't lawfully do that today, but they certainly can hold someone until police arrive. Know what it can take to hold someone who doesn't want to be held?

SteveYo No if they cut you off and end up dying in the process (because they lost control of their car i,e,) that doesn't make it your fault.

Too expensive, items are ghetto, over priced, cashiers are jail bait,

Where do you shop that Wal-Mart is expensive compared to???

Jail bait???

The store near me employs fish bait!!

I've never been to a Wal-Mart. Maybe never will be in a Wal-Mart.

I can afford to shop anywhere I want. I don't usually shop at Walmart but if there is something I want and the best price is at Walmart I will certainly have no problem shopping there. I imagine no one in this story had the intention to kill someone. Accidents happen. But people can definitely make the decision to NOT STEAL. Duh! If he had paid for the two DVD players he would be home happily watching movies. Our society is way too permissive and "reasonable" toward criminal activity. That's why the majority of this country voted to get money they didn't earn instead of getting a damn job.

Robert...You need to quit hedging and beating around the bush and tell us how you really feel about Walmart. Don't hold back...Let it out. You will feel so much better. (end sarcasm)

I seriously doubt anyone of the employees or the security guard got up that morning saying..."I'm gonna kill a shoplifter today"

If he had not stole, he would still be alive? True/faise

Everything else was circumstantial to the event that took place....out come may very!

AN Overzealous Walmart employee.....Oh please

jay-burdddd = a dummmmmb - dorrrrrrrrrkkkkkkkk!!!!! ding-battttt.

Committed1...Who ever gave you the idea that life was fair? Grow up. Sh!t happens when you decided to steal...Some of it may not be fair....

Like Walmart is going to teach them the proper way to do anything but protect Walmarts interest.

Guy got what he deserved. When you break the law, bad things can happen and life isn't fair. I can't stand all the liberals who side with criminals. Too bad buddy. You deliberately tried to steal.

Death over theft at a Walmart that claims insurance over items. Wow people, no one deserves to die over this, and its disgusting that you think someone should be killed for a materialistic item. Allow the police, whom are trained to determine when force is needed, this type of behavior from people that are NOT trained has to stop. People are going to steal, make bad choices, due to greed, like the people that fight on black Friday for phones, toys, t.v's, etc...but a Walmart name tag does NOT give you the right to take someone's life! Once you put your hands on someone else, you have gone too far!

That is just so easy to say when you aren't the one being robbed. But that's what this country is all about - taking something that belongs to someone else just because "you're entitled". I imagine we will see more and more of this behavior - people taking things they didn't lift a finger to deserve. In today's society it is a curse to be born intelligent and capable. It means you are going to be forced to work your ass off for the majority of parasitic people who are entitled to a free living, courtesy of the decaying USA.

jlsrunner1 - are you saying that it's only liberals who value human life?

DAWGGGGY, izzz yuze a koppppurrr den fo sho? orrrr izzzz yu jus a "WANNNNNNNNNNBE" 1????? WTF, go away dipppppyshyttty stikkkk!!!

denko...Knock off the name calling. If you have something worthwhile to add to the discussion, please feel free to post. Until then, go back to the basement and play your video games. Annoying....

liberals kill millions of babies and cry about killing a criminal

@not...Please feel free to use this or any thread to get out your personal and irrelevant opinion regarding abortion. Don't be afraid that it might not be appopriate to the discussion at hand or that you are making illogical comparisons, let alone, comments that might offend. You just go for it, Sunshine. Freedom of speeh is an absolute right, right?

No way, bro.

Second and final term. No reservations. On to bigger and better things.

I wonder if Obama will get involved with this one like he did the Travon case

No, I just wish he could shut down the predatory Wal-Mart,

Yeah, let's shut down that evil WalMart. It will teach all the people that work there a good lesson. Cuz hey, Obama is all about layoffs. That way more people will be on the dole and will vote democrap.

Stevie, you sir are a loser. Your next check should be in your hospital box in about 5 days.

MO-3341400

Yeah, let's shut down that evil WalMart. It will teach all the people that work there a good lesson. Cuz hey, Obama is all about layoffs. That way more people will be on the dole and will vote democrap.

Yes, and what about all the small businesses the great predator destroyed? What makes their sin even more egregious is after destroying thousands of small businesses they pulled out of several communities. And all the while masquerading as Christians.

Stevie, you sir are a loser. Your next check should be in your hospital box in about 5 days

And you can be sure the check will not be spent at Wal Mart.

Simple enough....if they guy were not a thief, this would not have happened. He got what he deserved.

@Joseph Walding --- Easy Joe! Your theory and though process is way too complicated for most libs and hand outers on the vine.

I don't watch Fox so I don't know what the Obama phone is. Where can I get one?

I just checked on the Internet. It says that the program was started decades ago for poor people.

JimS12345: You are right. It is called "Lifeline". These Fox watchers don't have a clue what is going on in the real world. That means you Rickamortiss!

since when is shoplifting a capital offense? 30 days but LIFE (literally?)

If they killed him on purpose that is wrong but if it happened by accident - what f'n idiot assumes there are no risks in stealing. Frankly if all states gave you the right to kill someone for B&E of your home, no questions asked, we'd have a lot less people worried about hiring a security service.

I keep getting offers for free cell phones with no charge in the mail. I became disabled with a bad back injury on the job and am close to retirement. You should be getting mail advertisements for the damn things if you are poor like me and unable to work, or if you are unemployed. I did not ask for one and do not have one. I have and pay for my own cell phone. Sorry, I shredded the mailed advertisements. But they are out there for sure. I had no idea until I received the advertisements wanting me to sign up for one. Just look on the internet and you should be able to find a company that supplies Obamaphones with free service.

almost ALL states have the "castle defense laws" - you CAN snuff an intruder IF you have reason to fear for your well being. IF they make it out the door, drag 'em back inside

Businesses don't HAVE that kind of protection - I remember a few years ago where a guy booby trapped a skylight to his business with a neon sign transformer. Burglar tried getting in and fried himself. Guy lost in court (Massachusetts or NY, IIRC - might be wrong)