Disgruntled Customer Shoots two Walmart Employees

Safety at Work

Port Orange, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – A disgruntled customer allegedly opened fire on two Walgreens employees last week, one of four employee shootings across the country.

Officials said 60-year-old Daniel Lee Asseff got into an argument with one or more employees in the pharmacy area of the store and fired on two employees, striking one in the torso and the other in the foot. When first responders arrived on scene, they found Assert in the driver’s seat of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head.

The two employees were taken to the hospital and treated for their injuries, one remained hospitalized, while the other was released. Officials said attempts were made to save Assert’s life, but he. was pronounced dead at the scene.

In Sanford, N.C., a robbery turned deadly for one employee on Saturday night. Officials said police responded to a call at the Value Mart on Highway 87 around 11:15 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they found 50-year-old Alfredo Escalona Mares dead inside the store.

According to the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, a masked man entered the store and showed Mares a weapon, the demanded money. Mares was shot and killed during the robbery. The suspect also assaulted a customer before leaving the scene and making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

In Stockton, Cal., a Macy’s employee was shot while trying to stop a shoplifter, officials said Wednesday.

Orlando Veras, a spokesperson for Macy’s said the employee was a member of the store’s asset protection department.

According to the Stockton Police Department, the incident happened around 12:30 p.m. at the Macy’s in Sherwood Place. The employee, a 32-year-old man, was in the shopping center’s parking lot with a gunshot wound to his leg.

First responders said the employee had non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Macy’s officials said the store is cooperating with the police department’s investigation.

"The safety of our customers and colleagues is Macy’s top priority," Veras said.

The suspects in the daytime shooting were described as two white men who fled the scene. The shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents in Stockton. The number of violent incidents in the city is up more than 9 percent between February and March, police data shows. As of March, the city has reported 770 violent incidents including seven homicides, 189 robberies and 557 aggravated assaults.

And in Gainesville, Fla., the wife of a man shot in the parking lot of a Walmart there said he had damage to his back nerves and will need help to walk again.

"He cannot wiggle his feet," Latravia said. "He cannot feel you touching his toes."

Latravia Johnson said the bullets that struck her husband, Antwain Johnson, have been removed and that he had gone through two surgeries so far.

"They did surgery on his back because the bullet was close to his spinal cord. It did fracture the L3 and L4 vertebrae," she said. "They say he’s going to need rehab. He can’t walk. He’s going to need physical therapy, so we have no idea when he’s coming home."

According to Gainesville Police, Drevon Parker, 26, a former Walmart employee, shot Johnson, a current Walmart employee, after an argument in the employees only section of the store.

Witnesses said Parker shot Johnson multiple times in front of his wife and children. Parker then ran from the store and put the gun in his car before trying to re-enter the store. He was stopped by the police and eventually turned himself over to law enforcement.

Investigators have not said what sparked the argument or how the confrontation escalated so quickly. It’s also not clear how Parker, a former employee, was able to access the employee-only area or how he was able to bring a weapon into the store. Investigators have not released whether there were any grievances between the two men.

Walmart did not comment on its internal security measures or on Parker’s employment history.

Parker was booked into the Alachua County Jail on the charge of first-degree attempted murder.

Johnson’s family has started a GoFundMe to cover his medical expenses. As of Thursday, the crowd funding campaign had raised $8,600.

Gainesville officials said they have been working to reduce gun violence for years. In 2023, the city voted to declare gun violence a public health crisis. Since then, the city has invested millions of dollars in preventative measures including a 2-day gun violence summit and hiring a gun violence intervention program manager.

That year, the city investigated 16 shooting deaths. In 2024, that number was cut in half. Mayor Harvey Ward said residents should not be afraid to shop at the Walmart because of the shooting. He called the incident a “crime of passion” rather than a random shooting.

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