Corlunda McGinister was identified as the woman who was shot and killed after police said she took a Walmart employee hostage at gunpoint while being recorded on video in Mississippi.
She demanded repeatedly to speak with a news anchor as police ordered her to put down the gun.
Video emerged of the hostage taking incident. You can see several videos from the scene later in this article, but be aware that they are disturbing and contain graphic language. The press secretary for the Mississippi Bureau of Public Safety identified the woman in the video as McGinister, 21, of West Helena, Arkansas, to WLBT-TV. Heavy has contacted the Bureau for additional details.
The shooting occurred on the evening of December 21, 2022, at a Walmart store in Richland, which is a suburb of Jackson, Mississippi. A LinkedIn page in McGinister’s name says she was a student at Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansasm, studying general studies toward an Associate of Arts and Sciences degree.
It’s not clear why McGinister took the employee hostage.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Video Shows McGinister Holding a Terrified Looking Walmart Employee as Cops Demand, ‘Put Your Gun Down’
The first video shows the woman later identified as McGinister holding the terrified looking Walmart employee. She appears agitated and raises her voice, but what she says can’t be easily heard at first. She then walks away with the employee and back.
“Why don’t you let her go then please,” a male voice says in the video.
“All of you need to give me a mother f****** news anchor right now,” McGinister says. It’s not clear why she wanted to talk to a news anchor, and it’s not clear which one she was requesting.
“Please let her go,” says the man.
“I need help. I need help. Give me a news anchor,” McGinister says.
Then officers approach her. “Put your hands up,” says one. An officer says, “put the gun down.”
There are more back-and-forth exchanges, with officers telling her to show her hands and put down her gun.
“Give me a news anchor…” she says again.
“Put your gun down.”
“Step out here and we will… put your gun down,” repeats an officer.
She refers to a “crooked cop” in another scene in the video.
A second video captured a man saying, “she’s got a gun.”
A siren goes off. This video shows a shopper hiding behind store shelves as the incident unfolds.
Police Shot & Killed McGinister
#HOSTAGE SITUATION IN #WALMART ENDS WITH WOMAN BEING KILLED BY POLICE IN #Mississippi
Although the video cuts off before that moment, ABC News reported that police shot and killed McGinister.
Richland police Chief Nick McLendon told WAPT-TV that nobody else was injured.
“It’s devastating for all parties involved — the officers, everybody that was involved in this situation,” McLendon said to the television station. “You know, with the Christmas season coming, mental health is a big deal because of the stress involved in the Christmas season.”
An old Facebook page for McGinister shows her when she was much younger. The most visible post is from 2015.
Richland police tweeted, “Richland Police are on scene at Walmart working an incident involving a weapon the scene is secure.”
According to Local Memphis.com, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. It’s not clear exactly what happened at the moment officers opened fire because the videos stop before that point.
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