A Walmart shopper was shot and killed when he tried to break up a fight between two employees of the store. As the Christmas shopping season starts, the family of a man who was shot down at a Broward County Walmart while standing up for an employee is suing the retail giant, pushing for more security to avoid similar tragedies.
A Walmart shopper was shot and killed when he tried to break up a fight between two employees of the store. “He was a wonderful person.” “He was an amazing father to his kids,” said the victim’s fiancée, Makia Ford.
The bereaved girlfriend of 41-year-old Thierry Bastien, the man killed at a Lauderdale Lakes Walmart, recalls her love for him.
“Kids. He had big dreams of becoming a chef, of opening a restaurant, of cooking anything you asked him to cook,” Ford added.
Bastien was shopping with Makia Ford and his two small children on the afternoon of May 2nd when he was shot and murdered by an off-duty employee.
“It was traumatizing, still traumatizing, because I had my baby in my hand along with my other son.”
Although Tironie Shavar Sterling, 22, was not working that day, he went to the business to visit a female employee with whom he had a relationship…they started shouting, and the quarrel became violent, according to BSO. But Bastien didn’t back down.
“Thierry Bastien sat there with a choice where the woman was being beaten on the floor, he decided to try to help out because no one else would.” “He tried to intercede peacefully, and he was attacked by the attacker at that point,” said Michael Haggard Bastien’s attorney.
It was a decision that would cost him his life.
“He was thrown to the ground while Makia and other customers screamed for several minutes.” “The shooter pulled out his gun and shot him six times before anyone from Walmart responded,” Haggard claimed.
“He attempted to intervene because no one else did.” He was the one who saved her life. “There was no security, no Walmart employees, and he just tried to break up the fight,” Ford said.
The family has filed a claim for wrongful death and negligent security. “We’re heartbroken over the incident that occurred at the Lauderdale Lakes store in May and offer our heartfelt condolences to the family during this difficult time,” said Walmart in a statement. We’re just now learning about this, and we don’t comment on ongoing lawsuits per company policy.”
Bastien’s family is praying that no other family suffers the same tragedy.
“When it happened my son, was only four months my son will never ever see his dad and he will never know who that is except for pictures and videos,” Ford went on to say.
Bastien’s counsel claims that there is surveillance footage that will be used in their case.
Sterling is accused of first-degree murder and armed robbery.
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