NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — It’s been 24 hours since a Walmart employee went on a shooting spree at a supercenter and a home.
The store off Salem Road partially opened its doors on Saturday, allowing patrons to pick up prescriptions from the pharmacy.
Many customers were turned away, unaware that a deadly shooting had occurred just hours earlier.
One customer shared their shock but said the incident wouldn’t stop them from shopping at the location, saying, “I think that this was an isolated incident.”
A spokesman with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that Walmart employee Dwayne Eduh grabbed a gun from his car around 1:30 a.m. on Friday.
Authorities said he killed 21-year-old Khalaf Barksdale inside the store. While leaving the store, Eduh shot and critically injured Ryan Bradley, another coworker, investigators said.
Law enforcement officials said Eduh then went to a nearby home on Emerson Trail and killed Akeela Clarke, 19, who also worked at Walmart.
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The suspect later shot himself after traveling east on Interstate 20 and into South Carolina. The sheriff’s office said he was critically injured.
Akeela Clarke’s mother, Samantha Clarke, was there when her daughter was shot.
Channel 2 Action News received the following statement from Walmart’s corporate offices on Friday morning:
“We’re heartbroken by what’s happened. There’s no place for violence in our stores. We’re focused on taking care of our associates and supporting law enforcement with their investigation.”
The Newton County Sheriff’s Office said only employees were inside the store at the time of the shooting.
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