Police: 2 charged with attempted murder in Walmart shooting
WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — Two people have been charged with attempted murder in a shooting that injured two people at the Walmart in Wyoming on New Year’s Eve, police say.
Camrin Carpenter and Latrell Young, both 21, were arraigned Monday on a number of counts including assault with intent to murder, which is punishable by up to life in prison, and weapons charges. Carpenter is also charged with armed robbery and Young with discharging a firearm in a building causing serious impairment and injury.
‘We hit the deck’: Shoppers describe shooting at Wyoming Walmart
The shooting happened at the Walmart on 54th Street near US-131 on the evening of Dec. 31. Court records say Carpenter showed a gun as Young tried to steal a man’s cellphone. The victim ran away and Carpenter and Young chased him, the document says.
“Latrell (Young) shot at (the victim) while Camrin (Carpenter) was following close behind,” the document reads in part.
“The Walmart, New Year’s Eve, 6 o’clock in the afternoon, was busy,” said Lt. Andrew Koeller with the Wyoming Police Department. “Discharging 10 or more rounds down a checkout lane full of people put all these citizens in great danger.”
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as the shots rang out.
“I was just going to buy a shirt and we were just looking in the clothes and boom, you hear guys running. It’s like, ‘What the hell’s going on?’” one witness who didn’t want to be identified told News 8. “People are moving out of the way because they’re running right in the middle of the row. And then you just hear the shots, and we just hit the deck.”
Carpenter and Young chased the victim out of the Walmart, court records say, but he got away and they took off.
The victim sustained four gunshot wounds, the court document says. He later showed up at a local hospital. A bystander, described by witnesses as an 18-year-old woman, was shot in the foot. Police said both people who were shot are expected to recover.
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Online records show Carpenter was booked into the county jail on Thursday and Young on Sunday.
Police said tips from the community to Silent Observer, the phone tree and online were a great help.
“We’re still piecing together some of those bits of investigation. That’s why we’re thanking the public for tips but we’re also calling for more tips as we continually put the pieces together. These two individuals were charged but we’re still seeking to fully understand and grasp this incident,” Koeller said.
Because of the shooting and recent retail fraud nearby, the Wyoming Police Department is assigning more officers to the area.
“As of late, we’ve been working with our partners in the area, the retail partners, and we’ve been dedicating community service officers, afternoon shift community service officers, which is a new unit that we created about a year and a half ago to start addressing crime-ridden areas and addressing problem areas,” Koeller said.
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