Police say female Indiana Walmart employee's heroic actions saved lives

Julia Musto
Fox News
Mon, 23 Jan 2023 19:10 UTC

© Maria Fuchs Hart via Storyful

Police gather at the scene of a shooting at a Walmart store in Evansville, Indiana.

The 25-year-old suspect in Indiana Walmart shooting was shot and killed by Evansville Police

Evansville Police said at least one person was shot at a Walmart store. They said the suspected shooter was shot and killed by police. (Maria Fuchs Hart via Storyful)

Indiana police said Friday that heroic actions taken by a Walmart employee and law enforcement officers kept a gunman who shot and injured a female employee from continuing to do harm.

Ronald Ray Mosley II, a 25-year-old former employee of the store, walked into a store break room where employees were meeting late Thursday night and shot the woman in the face with a 9mm handgun.

She was the only person injured, according to the Evansville Police Department.

A male employee, whom Mosley was also targeting, ran out of the room and Mosley followed him. Another female employee saw that Mosley had fled the room and called 911 before taking the victim into another room, locking the door and turning out the lights before Mosley returned looking for the injured woman.

Sgt. Anna Gray said officers were within the building within four minutes of the 911 call. There were about 40 Walmart employees and 40 shoppers in the store at the time.

Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin called the female employee who called 911 a hero and lauded her for her bravery.

"I have no doubt that he was going back to finish what he started and we would probably have a dead victim today instead of one that's alive," he said during a press conference.

© WTHR

One female victim was transported to a hospital.

The woman she helped was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital and was in stable condition, according to Gray.

According to Bolin, the shooter had left a suicide note and "he absolutely planned to die."

Gray said investigators did not yet know when Mosley acquired the handgun or how many shots he fired.

Mosley was fired from the store after being charged with four misdemeanor counts of battery on May 18, 2022, after he attacked four co-workers. A probable cause affidavit filed in the case states that Mosley told authorities that he had issues with people at work and "lost control."

Just hours before the shooting, Mosley had appeared for a progress hearing. He had pleaded guilty to the battery charges and was complying with mental health treatment through the court. Winston Lin, chief deputy prosecutor for the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's office, said Friday that "red flag" law court proceedings had not been initiated against Mosley.

"The entire Walmart family is shocked by the senseless violence that occurred at our Evansville store, and our hearts are with our associates at this time," the retail giant told Fox News in a statement. "As we learn more, we'll do everything we can to support our associates as they cope with this tragedy."

"We're thankful for the local first responders and will continue working with law enforcement through the course of their investigation," Walmart added.

Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News and Fox Business Digital.

Comment: The Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports on the shooter's motive:

The mother of a Walmart employee who was shot and wounded by a former co-worker inside a Walmart store in Indiana says the gunman had repeatedly threatened to kill her daughter.

Jenny Couch told WFIE-TV that her daughter, 28-year-old Amber Cook, was targeted by Ronald Ray Mosley II because he was in love with her boyfriend. When the boyfriend told Mosley that he wasn't interested in him romantically, Mosley became angry with Cook and threatened to kill her, she said.

"He kept sending my daughter messages, anonymous, everything. He kept calling her, telling her that he was going to kill her, that he watched her walk her dog," Couch told the Evansville station Friday.

According to the Evansville Police Department, 25-year-old Mosley walked into a store break room where employees were meeting Thursday night and shot Cook in the face with a 9mm handgun. Another employee escaped the room and called 911. Law enforcement officers responded within minutes and fatally shot Mosley. There were about 40 employees and 40 shoppers in the store at the time, but no one else was injured.

On Friday, Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin praised as a hero a female employee who came to the victim's aid after Mosley left the break room in pursuit of a male employee who had fled. Bolin said she called 911, moved the victim to another room, locked the door and turned out the lights before Mosley returned looking for the wounded woman.

Mosley had worked at the southwestern Indiana store until he was fired last year after being charged with four misdemeanor counts of battery in May 2022 for attacking four co-workers, Evansville police said Friday.

[...]

Couch said her daughter has life-threatening injuries after being shot in the head but described her daughter as "very strong. Strong-willed, strong-headed." She said Cook is surrounded by loved ones at an Indianapolis hospital but is frightened.

"My little girl, laying up here, wondering if she's even going to wake up. She's scared to go to sleep because she's scared that she's not going to wake up," Couch said.