Family Dollar employee faces felony charges after shooting suspected shoplifter who allegedly attacked him
PHOENIX, Ariz. (TND) — A Family Dollar employee in Arizona is facing felony charges after reportedly admitting to shooting a suspected shoplifter who allegedly attacked him.
Kevin Salas Madrid, 24, confronted a "serial shoplifter" who had previously hit his store on multiple occasions, leading to that shoplifter punching him, local news in Phoenix reports.
After being punched, Madrid reportedly pulled out a gun and shot the shoplifter multiple times, with witnesses saying Madrid kept shooting the shoplifter even after the man fell to the ground.
According to one witness, the 24-year-old Family Dollar employee said he could not control his anger after the suspected serial shoplifter punched his glasses off.
Later, when talking with police, Madrid allegedly called his response to the alleged attack "egregious."
Kevin stated he had made the worst decision of his life," Madrid's probable cause statement reads, according to Fox News. "Kevin explained he was struck and decided to shoot but looking back, he realized it was egregious."
A Family Dollar employee who claims to have witnessed the shooting said that Madrid possibly fired up to 15 shots during the incident, according to the publication Arizona's Family.
When police arrived at the store, Madrid reportedly identified himself as the gunman and his gun was reportedly empty of ammunition.
A media advisory from the Phoenix Police Department on March 22 says the shooting occurred that day around 7:50 p.m. at the Family Dollar location on Indian School Road in Phoenix.
The victim of the shooting was taken to the hospital in critical condition following the incident, according to the media advisory, which added that Madrid was arrested and jailed on an attempted second-degree murder charge "and other felony charges."
On Saturday, Fox News reported that "Madrid has been booked into jail on a charge of second-degree murder."
The National Desk has reached out to the Phoenix Police Department to confirm both what charges Madrid currently faces and the status of the suspected serial shoplifter. TND was then referred to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, which has not responded to a request for information.