A Nashville woman is taking legal action against Walgreens, claiming negligence after she was shot multiple times by an employee who mistook her for a shoplifter while she was seven months pregnant. Travonsha Ferguson, 25, has filed a lawsuit against the drugstore chain for failing to properly train their worker, who confronted her in the store's parking lot and subsequently shot her last April at a Walgreens on Gallatin Road in Madison.

The WKRN reported that the incident occurred after the employee followed Ferguson and another woman he suspected of shoplifting to their vehicle. The clerk claimed to have been sprayed with mace before discharging his weapon. This confrontation resulted in Ferguson undergoing an emergency C-section to save her child, who was born with a heart defect and is now at risk of long-term disabilities.

According to NewsChannel 9, Ferguson's attorney, Chris Stewart, criticized the company's policy of using untrained employees in security roles. "We handle these cases all across the country and what we have found out is a lot of times companies are using their own workers as security when they simply can hire off duty police officers if they're facing a lot of crime," said Stewart. He pointed out that the employee involved in the shooting had been arrested for a violent crime just months prior to the incident, suggesting a lapse in Walgreens' employment practices.

The lawsuit alleges that Walgreens is responsible for the actions of their employee, who should not have been in a position to handle such a situation given his past. The Tennessean obtained a statement from the lawsuit which details the emotional and physical trauma faced by both Ferguson and her son, Raheem, who was born prematurely and with a permanent hole in his heart due to the incident.

Walgreens has yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit. The case is set to bring to light the responsibilities of employers in terms of employee conduct, particularly in situations where the potential for violence is high. Ferguson's legal team is prepared to argue that the negligence of the company has led to irreversible harm to both her and her child.