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by awatkins from fox-26

Last Post 12 days, 6 hours Ago


walmart employee stabs a "customer"
Jun 12, 2008 | 7:41 AM
Category: News
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ok... i don't know if the 16 year old victim was there to make a purchase but let's put it this way.. he wasn't an employee. as pearland police say around 10:15pm yesterday this 16 year old entered the store and struck up an arguement with a 19 year old employee. about the 16 year old's girlfriend. witnesses say the 16 year old got aggressive first... swinging a fist... but the 19 year old is alleged to have pulled out a pocketknife and started stabbing. 5 times in the face and back according to the police press release. the victime rode the chopper to hermann hospital in critical condition and as of this writing pearland police have not returned my request for an update on him.

so... i know stuff happens, but i have to say i'm frustrated by walmart's p.r. department. 1st i have to give them credit... and i do give them a lot of credit.... for returning my voice mail before their business hours begin... AND before my deadline, because i told them i would be doing a live report at 6:30am.

but... this is the frustrating part. the only thing she would say is that it's a police investigation and all questions needed to go to pearland police. sure... questions about the investigation go to police. i get that without being told. but i asked if they would comment on the store safety. maybe they'd like to give a message to customers who might feel uneasy that an -employee- would allegedly pull out a knife while on the job. maybe they might simply express regret to the 16 year old victim. NO i'm told. "all questions need to be deferred to the police department." so i say "you mean walmart has no comment." she corrects me: "yes, our comment is that since this is a police investigation all questions go to them."

sooo... i know corporate p.r. tend to be tight lipped. the rational on this one didn't sit right and i just wanted to explain walmart's position on this matter.

now... what do you think? and i'm not asking what do you think about the corporate reaction really. what do you think about this happening inside a walmart... allegedly by an employee on the job?  does it reflect badly on walmart or do you think it's just an isolated case they need not worry about?

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Member Comments Total Comments: 21
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Skyder read my blog view my photos
Jun 12, 2008 | 8:17 AM

Well obviously you cannot have complete control over your employees and their actions that happen 'spur of the moment', but I am concerned that Walmart does not have some sort of weapon screening. What if the dude had a gun? I am not real comfortable thinking that if I go into a store, and an employee is having a bad day, that they just may be armed and dangerous.
Writing_With_Power read my blog view my photos
Jun 12, 2008 | 8:28 AM

Walmart can not be held responsible for this, however, someone will try to sue them over it I'm sure.
The employee was defending himself and when adrieline gets pumping its human instinct to survive and if you have a weapon you go to that first for defense. Granted the boy went overboard but he was also provoked.
Sad on all parts.
Pol1
Jun 12, 2008 | 9:18 AM

I also do not see how WalMart can be held responsible for this. As for the employee having a weapon...well I'm sure the stockers have box cutters, the ladies in the fabric dept. certainly have scissors. Just about anything can become a weapon.
It sounds like the 16yo came into the store looking for trouble...and found it. Maybe WalMart should sue him for disrupting their business and endangering their employee. I don't feel sorry for him just because he lost.
Skyder read my blog view my photos
Jun 12, 2008 | 1:46 PM

Anything can BECOME a weapon, but a knife is already a weapon. Now if he started stabbing him with his box cutter, I would go with the self defense angle, but this dude did not hesitate to whip out a blade, and commence to stabbing, not to defend, but to do bodily harm. The stab-ee in this case, was 3 yrs his junior so why was a knife necessary. Sounds like a thug to me.
I-RIGHT-I view my photos
Jun 12, 2008 | 3:56 PM

"but i asked if they would comment on the store safety. maybe they'd like to give a message to customers who might feel uneasy that an -employee- would allegedly pull out a knife while on the job. maybe they might simply express regret to the 16 year old victim. NO i'm told"

We at Wal-Mart regret any inconvenience this little bloodletting may have caused our customers but maintain the right of our employees to protect themselves by any means necessary from assault by thugs that enter our store. We apologize to those customers that slipped and fell from the blood on the floor and are currently looking into issuing sidearm that kill instantly and thus minimizing the "bleed out" that often occurs when our employees use a knife. It's quite an expense but one we fell will pay large dividends in the future.

We are grateful to our loyal and brave employee who at risk to his own life fought this vicious street thug preventing any harm to our valued customers and believe that when all the facts are known he will be completely vindicated. Currently Ray Elliot Canales our new favorite stock boy leads in the popular vote for this store's Employee of the Month. His parking place is almost assured.

We at Wal-Mart will stop at nothing to make sure your shopping experience is the safest and most pleasurable possible. Thank you Ray.

Sam Walton
yo_unbaleeva_bull read my blog
Jun 12, 2008 | 10:23 PM

aw,
the question we should be asking is when can companies, teachers and parents go back to discipline as a way to deal with problems without fear of retaliatory lawsuits or criminal action?

I almost got ran over in the frozen foods aisle of the Wally World at El Dorado and the Gulf Freeway.
By what?
Oh, two little rugrats playing chase on bicycles that they had commandeered from the opposite side of the store.

And if I had said something to the children?
Well you can imagine.

yo
PBMom read my blog view my photos
Jun 12, 2008 | 11:27 PM

Swinging a fist at a person does not entitle the other person to pull a weapon to stab that person swinging the fist...repeatedly. We are talking about a criminal act here, not just a matter of someone losing their temper. Any negative action taken by an employee reflects poorly on a company. If an employee decides that putting a human finger in the chili is funny, the company is ultimately responsible for that behavior on the job. Now I completely agree with Yo that we have lawsuit-happy society as well.

I do have a question though. If this happened at Disneyworld, wouldn't we all be wondering how this employee got hired in the first place? Wouldn't Disney be liable for any harm to any guest at their properties caused by one of their employees? Is it because it's Walmart that those standards are lowered?
yahyamoro read my blog
Jun 12, 2008 | 11:45 PM

I AM SHOCKED ! I AM AT THAT WALMART ALL THE TIME ! AS I HAVE BLOGGED BEFORE THE BIG CITY HAS COME TO THE COUNTRY ... AS FOR THE EMPLOYEE STABBING A CUSTOMER , WALMART IS TOAST ...
yahyamoro read my blog
Jun 12, 2008 | 11:54 PM

I AM SHOCKED ! I AM AT THAT WALMART ALL THE TIME ! AS I HAVE BLOGGED BEFORE THE BIG CITY HAS COME TO THE COUNTRY ... AS FOR THE EMPLOYEE STABBING A CUSTOMER , WALMART IS TOAST ...
yahyamoro read my blog
Jun 12, 2008 | 11:55 PM

I AM SHOCKED ! I AM AT THAT WALMART ALL THE TIME ! AS I HAVE BLOGGED BEFORE THE BIG CITY HAS COME TO THE COUNTRY ... AS FOR THE EMPLOYEE STABBING A CUSTOMER , WALMART IS TOAST ...
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awatkins

i love reporting the news... and the bright side of reporting before the sun comes up is that i can keep my cool! no melting in the houston heat at that hour. if you're up and about and tuning in, e-mail me a comment on the story i'm doing. we love to get your input. watkins@fox26.com

Member Since: 12/11/2006


 

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