A female employee who was injured and shot by a gunman was kept from doing more harm thanks to the heroic actions of law enforcement officers and a Walmart employee, police in Indiana said.
Ronald Ray Mosley II entered a store break room late Thursday, brandishing a 9mm handgun, where employees were gathered for a meeting. He intentionally targeted the woman and proceeded to shoot her in the face. The woman was the sole individual who sustained injuries.
Approximately 40 shoppers and 40 employees were present at the store at that time. No injuries were reported among the roughly 100 officers from several responding agencies. Shortly thereafter, Mosley, who was tracked down by the officers, was shot and killed within the building within four minutes of the 911 call, as stated by Sgt. Anna Gray of the Evansville Police Department.
In search of the injured lady, Mosley came back prior to Mosley’s return in search of the injured lady, switched off the lights, secured the door, relocated her to another chamber, and hurried back into the chamber to retrieve the victim, subsequently dialing 911. Another female staff member noticed that Mosley had escaped the chamber and rushed out, and Mosley pursued him, a male staff member — whom Mosley was also pursuing — after the gunfire.
Billy Bolin, the Police Chief in Evansville, commended the staff member as a hero and recognized her for rescuing the victim’s life.
During a media briefing on Friday, Bolin stated, “I am absolutely certain that he intended to return and complete his initial objective, and it is highly likely that we would have a deceased casualty today instead of an individual who is still living.”
The injured woman was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Indianapolis and was in a stable state, as stated by Gray.
At least eight officers discharged firearms as they pursued Mosley, whom Bolin stated had left a suicide letter.
“He fully intended to pass away last evening,” Bolin stated.
Gray said that investigators did not know how many shots were fired or the handgun that Mosley used when he acquired it.
The target is down, and he claims to have heard a voice saying “it! Drop it! Drop it!” In a later moment, an officer shouts these words and gunfire is heard from the store. The gunfire is also heard from elsewhere in the store as another officer moves through the aisles in front of him. In the video played during the news conference, a body camera video shows an officer holding an assault rifle in front of him.
The police filed a probable cause affidavit in the case, stating that Mosley, after being charged with four misdemeanor counts of battery in May 2022, attacked four of his co-workers. He had lost control and acted aggressively towards individuals with problems.
The case was ultimately directed to the mental health court of Vanderburgh County.
Prosecutor Diana Moers stated in Vanderburgh County court that he was complying with mental health treatment and had pleaded guilty to the charges of battery. Mosely appeared in court for a progress hearing just hours before the shooting on Thursday afternoon.
Moers stated that Mosely’s conviction for misdemeanor battery charges “would not necessarily disqualify him from owning a handgun.”
Currently, our thoughts and support are directed towards our colleague and the incident that took place at our Evansville store, as stated in a declaration by the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail corporation. The “whole Walmart community is appalled by the irrational brutality.”
Since May 2022, Mosley has not been employed by Walmart, however, the company stated in a separate declaration that it refrains from disclosing details regarding staff-related issues concerning present or past staff members.
According to Winston Lin, the deputy prosecutor in charge of the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s office, stated on Friday that court proceedings regarding red flag cases were not initiated against Mosley following the incident at the store in May. Indiana has a legislation known as the “red flag” law, which was enacted in 2005 and grants the authority to law enforcement or judicial bodies to confiscate firearms from individuals displaying indications of potential violence.
Did any evidence suggest that there was, and in Mosley’s previous history of firearm violence, a threat existed that would likely not have resulted in a case being filed by most prosecutors, according to Jody Madeira, an expert in Indiana law at the University of Indiana?
She observed that he had been adhering to court-mandated mental health therapy.
Evansville, a city with around 116,000 residents located along the Ohio River, is positioned approximately 170 miles (275 kilometers) to the southwest of Indianapolis.
The officers arrived before the gunman could kill himself and shoot. Additionally, six people were wounded. Two days before the Thanksgiving holiday, inside a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, a routine employee meeting was taking place when the manager began wildly shooting, resulting in the death of six people.
Rick Callahan and Tom Davies contributed to this report from Indianapolis.