Walmart Employee on the Shooting: ‘I Just Watched 3 of My Friends Killed’
Walmart is one of the biggest employers in the United States, with nearly 2 million employees (compared to 2.5 million for Ford, and over 3 million for General Motors). Their brand is synonymous with low prices, and the company’s profit margins are high: during the Great Recession in 2009, Walmart earned over $1 billion on $48 billion in revenue, while during the peak of the dotcom boom in 2000, Walmart had a per-share profit of $524. By comparison, Ford earned $5.3 billion on $48 billion in revenue, and General Motors earned $14 billion on $68 billion in revenue in 2009.
Walmart shooting survivor’s tale
An employee at a Walmart in Corona, California, on Sunday, September 14, 2013, opened fire, killing three civilians and one police officer. Police have arrested 22-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis on charges of murder in the first degree and attempted murder in the second degree. He is being held without bail at a Riverside County jail. NBC7.com – Corona, CA
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Walmart employees began to talk about the tragedy in a variety of ways. Many were shocked by the fact that they had been targeted by such a gunman; many others were angered at his actions. One particular employee recalled vividly what he saw just moments before the shooting:
I was working at the Walmart in Corona, California, and I just watched three of my friends killed. They were all working at the Walmart and they were coming home to me. They would come home from work, and we got really close. … I watched it. I was in the grocery store, and the shooting happened. A man came in, pointed a gun, and shot three of my friends dead. I looked at his face, and I just said, ‘Why did you hit the three of us?’
Walmart police said at the time that witnesses were told not to “spread panic.” Many were quick to reassure their communities that the gunman must have been suffering from