Authorities in Memphis have charged a 17-year-old male with first-degree murder after he shot and killed a store clerk who attempted to prevent him from shoplifting, The Charlotte Observer reported.
In a statement, the Memphis Police Department said that the fatal April 20 encounter happened at Sam’s Food Market at 1026 Mississippi Boulevard. Authorities said that footage from the store showed the teen attempting to leave the establishment with items he had taken and not paid for.
“The victim attempted to stop him,” authorities said. “While struggling over the items, the suspect fired several shots, striking the victim and killing him. The suspect fled west on Walker Avenue and north on Ford Place.”
Authorities said responding officers found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot. His condition was listed as critical at the time, and he was ultimately taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The teen suspect was later arrested and charged.
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In related news, Florida authorities arrested two suspects who infamously used poop as a distraction before shoplifting a Family Dollar store in Mulberry, Face2Face Africa reported in March.
Per TMZ, the bizarre incident happened in December 2024, and the two suspects were ultimately identified as 57-year-old Tina Joyce and Nikevee Curry, 37. Authorities said Joyce was the suspect who allegedly pooped on the floor of the store before Curry made away with the stolen items. Joyce is said to have eased herself to serve as a distraction while they committed the alleged crime.
In an initial statement, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office stated that the suspects, who they nicknamed “Mr. Clean” and “Ms. Dookie,” played “very different roles” when they entered the Family Dollar store, adding that they “conspired in their retail theft.”
“The man walked around the store gathering nearly $500 worth of merchandise (like lots of Gain, Tide, and Clorox products) whilst the woman caused a distraction for employees by using the restroom…without going to the restroom,” the statement said. “The floor was her restroom. And an employee had to clean that…stuff up.”
