Suspected diaper thief dead after shooting at Walmart, deputies say

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orange County Sheriff's Office is investigating an incident that happened Saturday on Clarcona Ocoee Road.

Deputies responded to a call at 8:12 a.m. about a shooting at a Walmart and a person with gunshot wounds at a Citgo.

The Sheriff's Office said deputies who arrived at the Citgo rendered aid to a man who had multiple gunshot wounds.

Deputies linked the calls to an incident in the Walmart store parking lot, the Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies blocked the store with police tape while they interviewed witnessed and collected evidence. Multiple deputies were also seen at the nearby Citgo gas station that was blocked off.

The Sheriff's Office said that four people were trying to steal "shopping cart-fulls" of baby items and load them into a car, which had been carjacked in January, when a Walmart employee confronted them in the parking lot, deputies said.

"I think what was being stolen, I believe, was Pampers, or some type of baby diapers," Sheriff's Office Capt. Angelo Nieves said.

Early information indicates that several people emerged from the store with two carts full of merchandise and were fleeing the store without paying, deputies said.

When confronted by store personnel by the getaway car, a confrontation of some sort developed. The Sheriff's Office said this was witnessed by an uninvolved customer who went to the store employee's aid.

While helping the employee, the customer felt threatened by one of the individuals, who the customer believed was arming himself, deputies said.

The customer, who had a firearm of his own, fired to defend himself.

"The individual acted based on their belief that the individual was armed in order to defend themselves," Nieves said.

The Sheriff's Office said the suspects jumped into their red vehicle and attempted to flee. They drove into two other vehicles in the parking lot and subsequently abandoned their car and continued to flee on foot. Deputies said the occupants of the cars in the crashes in the parking lot were rendered aid.

The customer remained at the Walmart awaiting the deputies' arrival and cooperated with investigators.

The suspects remain at large and the man who fled to the Citgo was taken to a hospital, deputies said. The 19-year-old man was later pronounced dead.

The Sheriff's Office said the vehicle the individuals arrived in and attempted to drive off in was a vehicle taken in a carjacking on Jan. 14.

Deputies said they are still looking for the three individuals who fled. The Sheriff's Office had no other information on them.

News 6 reached out to Walmart following the incident.

"Keeping our customers and associates safe is among our top priorities. Since this is an ongoing investigation, we must refer questions to local law enforcement," Walmart officials said.

Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates on this developing story.

Sign up for ClickOrlando breaking news alerts and email newsletters