Black officer alleges racial profiling after being wrongfully accused of shoplifting at Walmart

A Black corrections officer is suing Walmart after he says he was racially profiled at one of its stores in Georgia.

David Conners, a Clayton County corrections officer, was stopped and handcuffed by a Fayetteville police officer while he was shopping for home decor. Employees believed Conners was someone with the last name Wright who had repeatedly stolen electronics from the store, according to ABC News.

"He's just in the store, minding his own business, when he's approached by the police, and everything went downhill from there," Terance Madden, an attorney for Conners, told ABC News.

Conners provided the officers with two pieces of identification, including one that showed he was a local corrections officer, before he was held in another room while officers investigated.

Upon viewing footage of the shoplifter, Conners noted that he had visible tattoos and the shoplifter did not. But it was not until officers called someone else familiar with the case, who confirmed that Conners was not the shoplifter, that the corrections officer was released, ABC reported.

Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove told ABC, "We don't tolerate discrimination of any kind and take allegations like this seriously. We are not going to comment further on this pending litigation."

Conners has sought professional counseling following the incident and said he has not received an apology from Walmart or the employee who called the police, ABC noted.

The Hill has reached out to Conners's attorney and to Walmart for comment.