In a tense, videotaped incident on Wednesday, Mississippi police shot and killed a woman who was holding a Walmart employee hostage.
According to investigators and video of the event, Corlunda McGinister, 21, was fatally shot by officers inside the megastore’s Richland branch after oddly demanding to talk with a television anchor while she was holding the scared worker.
Around 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Richland police posted on social media that there had been a “event at Walmart with a firearm,” and a few hours later they posted again that there had been a “officer-involved shooting” inside the big-box retailer.
Online videos depict a woman making a specific demand while holding what seemed to be a gun.
“Hey, give me a news anchor down here right now,” the woman said as she appeared to have the gun in one hand while using her other hand to hold onto the hostage.
“I need help, I need help,” she said, according to the footage. “Give me a news anchor down here.”
The woman added that she had no desire to harm anyone. Throughout the terrifying encounter, she refused requests to let the woman go, according to the footage.
The woman added, “I’m not trying to hurt anybody. I want a news anchor, please.
Footage also showed woman continuing to demand a news anchor while police officers repeatedly demanded that she down her gun.
For everyone involved, the tense event was “devastating,” Richland Police Chief Nick McLendon told WAPT.
According to McLendon, “it’s sad for all parties concerned – the officers, everyone who was involved in this incident.”
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