Bibb County Sheriff's Office has cuffed a second suspect in the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Ronnie Albea who was gunned down in a Walmart parking lot in Macon after he bucked at turning over his car keys to alleged hijackers, authorities say.
The grim encounter went down last August at the chain's Harrison Road outpost, where Albea's fiancé was confronted by two males demanding the keys to their ride, officials detailed, initially arresting 18-year-old Elijiah Dewayne Gray in connection to the deadly confrontation since April of last year, and now on March 5, they collared 20-year-old Mycco Vachion Gray after a hot-footed pursuit near a residence on Short Street.
Albea, entangled in a struggle with his assailants, was shot and consequently pronounced dead at a hospital, as FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Mycco Gray is hit with murder and hijacking of a motor vehicle charges, currently in the county's clutches without bond.
Yet the homicide at the discount megastore has flared up more than just police action with Albea's kin pointing fingers at Walmart; they've filed a lawsuit claiming the retail giant should've better safeguarded customers at the Harrison Road location, which they say is no stranger to lawbreaking, in May, according to information obtained by 13WMAZ, with their attorney Katherine McArthur hammering the point home citing "Big history of violent crime in the neighborhood, Just at the Walmart, the calls to law enforcement the last two years have shown more than 30 incidents of violent crime occurring."
Addressing the legal salvo, Walmart offered its sympathies but defended its security protocols saying, "The safety and security of our customers and associates is always a top priority, and we have a process in place to assess store security," a company statement read. "We will continue our long-standing practice of regularly evaluating our staffing, training, procedures, and technology, which are designed to provide a safe working and shopping experience."
