This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
On Thursday afternoon, a man in his 20s walked into a Walmart in Springfield, Missouri, with a loaded rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition, sending shoppers into a panic.
Fortunately, no shots were fired, and the man was detained by an off-duty firefighter and arrested by the police, according to the authorities and local news media.
According to Lieutenant Mike Lucas of the Springfield Police Department, the man had intended 'to cause chaos.' The police are still working to determine his motives.
‘Nobody was harmed, thankfully,’ Lieutenant Lucas told reporters at the scene. ‘Just a really scary, dangerous situation that thankfully got resolved, and everyone’s going home tonight.’
The incident occurred just five days after a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed.
As the nation grapples with the issue of gun violence, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has come under scrutiny for its safety measures and gun policies.
