An employee at a Family Dollar has been charged with attempted murder after shooting a man that he believed to be a “serial shoplifter.”
The alleged “serial shoplifter” was shot at least ten times during the incident, which occurred at a Family Dollar store in the Phoenix, Arizona, area at roughly 7:50 p.m. on Wednesday.
Family Dollar worker arrested for fatally shooting shoplifter https://t.co/v6cyGaZGen pic.twitter.com/z9LaL90E7M
— New York Post (@nypost) March 26, 2023
The incident began when the employee, 24-year-old Kevin Ignacio Salas Madrid, accosted the accused shoplifter and told him to leave. The man responded by punching Madrid in the face with his left hand, causing the employee’s glasses to fly off of his face — according to statements from witnesses.
Madrid responded to the attack by pulling out his gun and shooting the suspected shoplifter at least ten times, according to some of the witnesses. A different witness claims that Madrid shot the man 15 times. Court documents state that the employee continued to shoot even after the man fell to the ground.
Upon arriving at the scene, police found Madrid with the gun unloaded, and the alleged shoplifter shot several times. The man was then transported to a local hospital, where he was reported to be in critical condition.
Madrid immediately informed the police that he was the shooter. According to the police report, he expressed regret for his actions.
“Kevin stated he had made the worst decision of his life,” police wrote in the probable cause statement. “Kevin explained he was struck and decided to shoot but looking back, he realized it was egregious.”
He has since been charged with attempted second-degree murder, along with several other charges.
This is not the first shooting at a Phoenix Family Dollar this month. On March 5, a man was fatally shot at a different Family Dollar location in the city. When they arrived at the scene, police found 43-year-old Chris Gonzales shot in the head. The victim died at the scene from his injuries, and police later arrested a 35-year-old suspect using surveillance footage of the shooting. The shooting was reportedly retaliation for an alleged assault attempt.
According to police, the crime rate in Phoenix has been steadily rising.
