Police say man opened fire at Walmart because someone made fun of him – The Morning Call

A Harrisburg man said he started firing a gun at a busy Dauphin County Walmart Sunday night because his pride was hurt, according to court documents.

Police said Luis D. Jose, 27, shot and killed a man in the electronics section of a Walmart in Swatara Township around 5:17 p.m. When the shots rang out, hundreds of adults and children fled the store, leaving shopping carts and their personal belongings behind.

A probable cause affidavit said Walmart surveillance cameras captured the man who was shot browsing the electronics aisles before he was wounded. Cameras captured Jose walking past him, then turning around and following him with a weapon in hand, the affidavit said.

Jose began an “unprovoked physical confrontation” with the other man, prompting Jose to fire his gun and slightly injure the man’s leg, the affidavit said. Court documents do not indicate whether or how well the men knew each other.

About 500 people were inside the Walmart at the time of the shooting, according to police.

“At the time of the shooting, there were many people inside Walmart, including children, including people in the aisles immediately adjacent to the scene of the shooting,” the police affidavit said.

“We were in the pasta aisle and all of a sudden I heard a loud bang,” Harrisburg resident Elvis Valentine told PennLive. “Then I just turned around. My wife said to me, “Did you hear that? It sounds like a shot.” Then another minute passed, and then the people ran out screaming. Not even a minute [more] like a couple of seconds.”

“I left my cart there and we started running,” said Raven Persaud, another Harrisburg resident. “Everybody was rushing and it was overwhelming. I said, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening right now.” When I got in the car I had a complete panic attack, I was hyperventilating.

“You read about it on TV or in the news, but you don’t feel the fear until it actually happens,” she said.

Jose fled the store and his car was later found in Harrisburg, police said. Swattor Township and Harrisburg police worked together to find Jose and take him into custody.

The affidavit said Jose admitted he shot the man because he laughed at Jose and hurt his pride.

Police charged Jose with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct and disorderly conduct.

Online court records show Jose was denied bail and is being held in the Dauphin County Jail because he poses a threat to himself and the public. The preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 31.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.