Gunman at Walmart may have been shot to death by authorities while carrying a fake gun. The family of John Crawford, the 22-year-old gunman who was shot several times by Ohio police at a Walmart store, believes he was walking around the store with a toy gun he picked up in the toy department as he was shopping with his mistress. Beavercreek Police Department has refused to reveal the type of weapon Crawford was carrying. The shooting of the gunman traumatized a Walmart shopper who collapsed and died on the scene.
The story of the Walmart gunman who was killed by Ohio police officers this week has two sides.
On Tuesday night at around 8 PM, numerous people shopping at a Walmart located in Dayton, Beavercreek in Ohio called the police after spotting a young African American man cruising down the toy and pet aisles with a gun.
The gunman was 22-year-old John Crawford from Fairfield, a father of two, with a baby on the way who was scheduled to get married to LeeCee Johnson this weekend.
According to several witnesses, the man was talking on his cell phone, while holding the riffle and playing with it.
One of the shoppers who called 911 stated that the man never pointed the gun at anyone, but he did look serious and did not appreciate when people made eye contact with him, which lead her to believe that he had plans to rob the store or kill someone.
That same person explained that she nor her son could not tell if the gun was real or fake, but it was scary enough to call the cops.
According to Beavercreek Police Department, five officers were dispatched to the store and when they found Crawford in the pet section, he was asked to put down the rifle and get on the floor.
When he failed to comply, they shot him several times, tackled, handcuffed him and took him to a nearby hospital where he later died.
Angela Williams, 37, who suffered from an unknown illness witnessed the disturbing scene, collapsed and died as she was running out of the store.
Crawford’s girlfriend Johnson said she was on the phone with him during the shooting. Johnson said that her partner who loved to “play around” did not own a weapon.
And she is more than certain that the father of her kids was just “messing around” with a gun he found in the toy aisle.
She went on to add that she could hear him screaming and crying as they shot at him.
The couple has two boys, a one-year-old and a four-month-old.
The woman who is heartbroken said that she just found out that she is pregnant and did not get the chance to tell him about it.
She also stated that the man had many wonderful things to live for like their wedding, which was set to take place this weekend.
Another woman named Tasha Thomas, has come forward saying that she had been having an affair with Crawford for the past four months and she was at the store with him the night he was killed.
Thomas told police that her lover did not enter the store with a weapon.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which has refused to say if the gun was real or not, has asked an independent agency to investigate the shooting.
The family of the gunman has contacted the NAACP.
Crawford’s cousin said this is another example of police brutality against minorities, where they shoot and kill, and ask questions later.
How terribly sad for all involved! I pray for resolution for all deaths committed. With that being said, I comment daily “COMMON SENSE” If once call made to PD. and cooler heads come, and gentleman would have complied, But when Emotions run High and and the scenario the way it was, Now many are left with heartache no matter what race, color or creed.
Not sure what you are trying to say here, but if the police tell you to drop a weapon, toy or real, you comply.
The important part of this story is that the person with the Toy gun was BLACK, and in Ohio and many other states that is enough to get you shot down by cops. If it had been a white redneck with a Second Amendment T-shirt on nothing at all would have happened. But, he was BLACK and that makes all the difference.
Where is the NRA in all this? Why aren’t they planning protests and boycotts against Walmart?
VERY SIMPLE: FOLLOW THE COMMANDS GIVEN TO YOU BY POLICE. There is ABSOLUTELY no way of telling some TOY GUNS FROM REAL GUNS !! When he failed repeated commands to put the weapon down and get flat on the floor – he became a viable threat. A threat not only to Police but also to the customers and staff in the store.
It’s not easy for people to follow commands when they don’t know what the heck is even going on.
That’s true enough, but shooting to kill is extreme. Incapacitating a potentially dangerous person would have a better effect if at all possible. They didn’t even stop to check if he was dangerous or not, they just fired. Oops, he wasn’t dangerous. Our bad.
He should have put the gun down as the police asked – racism has nothing to do with stupidity. The police would have responded the same way even if the guy was white. I’m sorry he is dead, but he brought it upon himself. I’m not a racist so any comments directed to me should not be about racism. I have plenty of “black” friends, but they have common sense.
Speaking of common sense. “One of the shoppers who called 911 stated that the man never pointed the gun at anyone, but he did look serious and did not appreciate when people made eye contact with him, which lead her to believe that he had plans to rob the store or kill someone.” that was some of the common sense used by the people who called the police. Also, if what the woman on the phone with him is telling the truth then he TOLD THEM IT WASN’T REAL and they shot him anyways. You try minding your own business and then being blindsided by cops meanwhile being confused at the situation because you have done nothing wrong. I blame this on both the police and the people who called. Unless he threatened someone there is NO reason to start accusing people of anything simply for carrying a gun, real or fake.
wow, and I thought guns are legal in the United States. But what do I know I’m just an old retired Army Veteran. Walmart sells real guns too, besides toy guns Right? and ammunition if memory serves. Its really sad that an innocent young man had to die.
this is despicable, why do they keep referring to the man as the “gunman” when it seems pretty clear he was simply a customer. So everywhere that they have “gunman” put in customer, it sure does change the dynamic doesn’t it.
Except for being shot, everything about this guy points to being a real scumbag. Wouldn’t let anyone look at him? Cranking out kids with a clueless broad while he’s cheating on her? Carrying a gun around a store like it’s a weapon? Actually talking on the phone to the dopey broad cranking out his kids while with the person he’s cheating on her with? Good riddance.