In a parking lot incident last year, an armed Walgreens employee shot a pregnant woman he accused of stealing lipstick seven times. This led to an emergency cesarean section to deliver the baby and resulted in permanent health issues, according to a new complaint.
On April 12, 2023, Travonsha L. Ferguson, 25, was shot at the Walgreens location at 2500 Gallatin Road in Nashville.
Ferguson allegedly sprayed the employee with mace “in fear of imminent bodily harm to Baby Ferguson and herself” after the employee, who did not identify himself, confronted her and her friend about the allegedly stolen merchandise in an aggressive manner. Court documents obtained by HuffPost detail the incident.
The infant was delivered early due to an emergency cesarean section caused by the incident. The kid lived, but according to court filings, his mother needs to use a colostomy bag because the now 11-month-old has a cardiac abnormality.
The worker who had shot her was fired. According to authorities in a news release, he claimed self-defense, saying he feared for his safety and didn’t know if Ferguson and her friend were armed. As a result, he was not charged with a crime.
At a press conference, Ferguson’s lawyer, L. Chris Stewart, stated that, “I would believe the situation of self-defense if one shot, but it’s impossible to shoot seven times with such accuracy if you’ve been maced — which he was not. We believe it was sprayed at him or in the air when they were surprised — as any pregnant mother would do who gets surprised by somebody running up on them screaming slurs.”
According to the police, the violence broke out after a fellow worker alerted the store’s team supervisor about two female employees stealing merchandise.
When he observed the women loading products into a cart and a sizable over-the-shoulder bag, the team leader told police he began filming them on his cellphone. He then followed them outside when they departed without paying for the goods, according to the police report.
He informed the police that as the women were putting stuff in the trunk, he moved to the back of the vehicle. One of the women sprayed him with mace, and he got out his semiautomatic pistol and fired, according to what he told police.
The women drove off after the incident, and he dialed 911.
Ferguson’s companion dropped her off at a hospital before driving off, according to authorities.
According to court documents, Ferguson was accused of assault and theft of $1,000 or less. According to local ABC affiliate WKRN-TV, her attorney would not comment on the charges.
According to local NBC affiliate WSMV, he stated that whether or not the employee had been accused of shoplifting, following her to the parking lot and killing her was “negligent and against policy, provided the employee had been trained properly.” Walgreens, he said, must be held liable.
