Overkill at Walmart

**staropeace** · November 26th, 2012

I think the security guard should be charged with manslaugher. This is crazy.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/11/2...with-employees

**king family fan** · November 26th, 2012

That is just aweful. Things just get so out of hand.

**GNTLGNT** · November 26th, 2012

...no doubt Staro, no doubt...

**kingricefan** · November 27th, 2012

Crazy, crazy, and crazy! What has the world come to????

**mjs9153** · November 27th, 2012

I would not be too hasty in assuming this guard is guilty of manslaughter,until all the facts are in.Hopefully there is video which would lend an aid,because it is possible the guard brutally applied a chokehold,and killed the guy needlessly.On the other hand,there is also the possibility the guy was fighting hard to get away,and the guard instinctually applied the chokehold(I say instinctual because I don't think guards or police are taught to use that,ever,anymore)and with the weight of the other two employees they accidentally killed him.The line between accidental and reckless is a fine line.It doesn't take much for a situation to escalate from another shoplifter getting arrested,to a tragedy like what happened here..I did see a photo of the deceased guy today,he looks like a fairly big strong fellow,and I think it is a little premature to assign criminality until the facts are all known..Incidentally,his ex wife provided the paper with the headline "He Didn't Have To Die"which sounds dramatic,and looks good for the paper's visibility,and I agree he didn't have to die..If he had chosen not to commit those thefts,he would still be alive without a doubt..not espousing killing shoplifters,understand,but sometimes tragedies ensue when people engage in risky illegal acts..just my opinion.

**staropeace** · November 27th, 2012

I understand somewhat where you are coming from, mjs, but it is not like the guy was holding up a bank or threathening someone's life...he was stealing some electronic stock. If a guard is permitted to lay hands on another person, he should have a course in nonviolent restraint. If the guy put up a struggle, then let him go....it ain't worth it. I know we all had to have courses in nonviolent techniques when I managed a homeless centre for drugged streetpeople. There were some very hard cases there. Common sense works well in all situations. Some folks are cops wannabys I think.

If the guy was struggling and wanted to get away....let him go. Walmart will not have to stand in the breadline because of this theft.

**Shasta** · November 27th, 2012

Originally Posted by mjs9153

I would not be too hasty in assuming this guard is guilty of manslaughter,until all the facts are in.

I'm right there with you. I was helping a security employee at a past retail job catch a shoplifter. The shoplifter proceeded to stab the security guy. He was fine but I would have happily killed the woman.

**dsurrett** · November 28th, 2012

When I've worked retail I've always been told to not put myself at risk if I see someone shoplifting. It needs to be reported to management, then they can call the proper authorities, and if the shoplifter gets away, so be it. A couple of DVD players aren't worth dying for. If the store has a properly trained security officer, so be it, that's great, and needed. But other employees don't need to jump in unless the security guard is in danger. What if the shoplifter has a getaway driver who's armed?

**dsurrett** · November 28th, 2012

Originally Posted by mjs9153

Incidentally,his ex wife provided the paper with the headline "He Didn't Have To Die"which sounds dramatic,and looks good for the paper's visibility,and I agree he didn't have to die.

If the deceased's ex-wife is already waving a newspaper that says "He didn't have to die," you can be sure lawsuits will be coming.

**tenngolfer** · November 28th, 2012

Originally Posted by Shasta

I'm right there with you. I was helping a security employee at a past retail job catch a shoplifter. The shoplifter proceeded to stab the security guy. He was fine but I would have happily killed the woman.

Iagree. At one point a few years back, I was asked to serve on a corporate riskmanagement team for safety and security. My background was geared tomanufacturing and distribution, but some of the companies inside thecorporation had retail stores, and thus reps on our team. The retail securityissues are a problem for the employer because of the health and liability of anemployee confronting a thief. Most companies train employees how to handle thesituation with the least amount of risk. But not all employees follow theirtraining, and not every situation can be covered by training.