A shooting that took place at a Walmart in the afternoon on Wednesday, September 20, resulted in the deaths of two persons, according to the Georgia police.
Hiram residents James Wyatt Norton (age 26) and Zoey Nicole Messenger (age 20) have been named as the victims, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Possible Murder-Suicide Motives Are at the Center of Inquiry
The incident occurred at the Walmart Super Center at 4166 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway in Hiram at about 7:30 PM local time, as confirmed by Police Chief Mike Turner.
The case is being investigated as a possible murder-suicide. The police chief said that the two victims, a man and a woman, were "younger people" who had been in a relationship in the past.
"What it appears to be is a known-to-known shooting event where both parties knew each other. This was not an active shooter. This was one person knew another person, there was some kind of former relationship," Turner stated.
Officers discovered Norton and Messenger, both suffering from at least one gunshot wound and transferred them to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, as stated in the report. On arrival, they were declared dead.
Turner specified that the male victim was regarded as the perpetrator and the female as the victim.
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Not Only It Terrifies the Victim, but Also the Witnesses
The terror that this sort of occurrence had to induce was not just for the victim herself but for the other persons in the area as well. Several customers informed FOX 5 Atlanta that they heard gunfire and left the establishment in fear.
Devani Lopez, a bystander, said, "As soon as I heard the second shot, I ran straight for the exit because I heard the gunshot come from my left side, so I ran to the right exit ... I could see everyone running for their lives. Everyone was just so panicked and scared."
On Wednesday night, Walmart issued a statement claiming the firm grieving for what happened and will be cooperating with investigations. "We're heartbroken by what happened at our Hiram store tonight. Our priority, right now, is the safety of our associates and customers. The store will remain closed while we work with law enforcement during their investigation," ABC News reported.
Last year, six people, including the gunman, were killed in a shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia. Over the past several years, smaller-scale shooting incidents have occurred at different sites of the large retail company, according to Fox News.
In 2022, almost two weeks after the massacre in Chesapeake, a gunman opened fire outside a Walmart in Marietta, Georgia.
Suicide is discussed in this narrative. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, available 24 hours a day, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
