1 dead, 9-year-old girl injured in shooting at Fayetteville Walmart, police say
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A young man died and a girl was injured after a shooting inside the entrance of a Fayetteville Walmart Friday night, according to the city’s police department.
The suspected shooter, 19-year-old Adrian Jelks, is on the run. The Walmart employee is wanted for murder and aggravated assault, police said.
Another 19-year-old, Sandra Romero-Nunez, was taken to Fayette County Jail. Police believe she was a party to Jelks’ alleged crimes.
Fayetteville police said the double shooting happened at the Fayette Pavilion shopping center’s Walmart around 10 p.m. Antavius Holton, 19, was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later died. A 9-year-old girl was also shot but is expected to survive.
Police said units responded in about one minute, but Jelks had already driven away. Officers later found the car abandoned.
In a news conference, Fayetteville Police Chief Gray said the shooting was “not a random act of violence” and that Jelks and Holton may have known each other. He added that the girl was “an innocent bystander ... [who] just happened to be in the Walmart.”
“This is nothing that we see. This is a very isolated incident in the city of Fayetteville,” Gray said. “I’m appalled that an innocent child is in a metro Atlanta hospital with a gunshot wound.”
Walmart also released a statement on the shooting, saying the following:
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A woman told Atlanta News First she was dropping a manager off at the Walmart on Friday night. At first, the two thought somebody was being arrested for stealing. But then the woman saw the two victims on the ground in the entranceway.
“I was devastated,” she said. “That could’ve been me or one of my grandkids. I’m very shocked [it happened] in this area.”
On Saturday morning, Atlanta News First spoke with Walmart shoppers, who were on edge hearing the news.
Rhonda Cason, a frequent shopper, said the incident was unexpected and alarming.
“This isn’t usually something that happens in this community,” she said. “It’s usually a quiet community. So, this is really unusual for us.”
Other customers said the mood inside the store was different on Saturday. Despite not knowing what had happened, Jonathan Gillard said he could feel that something was wrong as soon as he walked inside.
“It was kind of quiet, and people were acting kind of funny,” he said. “I was just trying to get in and out as soon as possible, but now that I heard what was going on, I could see the difference. The whole vibe was different inside of Walmart.”
Now, some residents said they have one hope — that the suspect is found.
“That’s the main thing,” Gillard said. “They honestly need to do some type of better security measures for major public places like this.”
Police ask anyone with information about the shooting or Jelks’ whereabouts to call 911 or the Fayetteville Police Department at (770) 461-4357. They warn that Jelks may be armed and should not be approached.
This story is developing. Check back with Atlanta News First for updates.
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