In Richland, Mississippi, a hostage situation occurred at a Walmart when an upset 21-year-old female customer held an employee at gunpoint. The incident happened around 5:40 pm on Wednesday, December 21. According to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the suspect was identified as Corlunda McGinister of West Helena, Arkansas. The incident was caught on video.
Sources say that McGinister was seen trembling and kept saying she was waiting for a news anchor to come and talk to her. Footage taken by a shopper showed that McGinister held the gun directly into a frightened employee’s head with one hand and the other to hold onto the employee’s vest as they walked to the front of the store.
McGinister saw the customer filming her, and said she would not hurt the hostage or anyone else. After a series of back-and-forth exchanges with the customer, police told McGinister to put her hands up. News sources later confirmed that officers shot and killed the suspect, leaving the terrified hostage uninjured.
Police Chief Nick McLendon confirmed to WAPT-TV that no one else was wounded in the incident.
A customer told WAPT-TV that she and her cousin barely got inside the store because people were screaming and rushing to get out, which caused them to run toward the exit, and then they heard a gunshot afterward.
It is still unknown why McGinister took a Walmart employee hostage and why she demanded that news anchors show up. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is still assessing the situation. It is unclear if police had prevented a mass shooting, or if the gun-wielding woman could have been disarmed safely.
A similar occurrence happened last month when mass shooter Andre Bing massacred six people inside a Walmart in Virginia.