On Thursday, Anthony Brown, the man responsible for a double shooting at a local Walmart in Butler County, pleaded guilty to charges of murder and felonious assault. The incident which took place in May of last year at 3201 Princeton Road, left a shopper dead and an employee injured. Brown admitted to the shooting while attempting to steal electronics from the store, according to information reported by LOCAL12.
The fatal shooting claimed the life of 35-year-old Adam Black, who tried to intervene as Brown made his escape. A Walmart employee was also shot but survived the altercation. Following the incident, Brown fled the scene but was subsequently apprehended at a Middletown motel, as reported by WLWT. Prior to his guilty plea, Brown was set to go to trial and had initially planned to represent himself
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Brown's plea includes a three-year gun specification along with the charges of murder and felonious assault. His sentencing has been scheduled for December 12 at 12:30 p.m., providing some measure of closure to both the victims' families, and the community. An article by FOX19 includes a statement from Sgt. Brandon McCroskey, expressing relief for the families affected by this tragedy, "Three and a half years later, I’m thankful for the family and the community that they get some closure," McCroskey said.
The injured Walmart employee, identified by FOX19 as Eric Ruff, was shot in the chest during the incident. While justice may be served with Brown's guilty plea, the scars of that day are enduring both for Ruff and the loved ones left grieving for Adam Black. The community looks forward to the sentencing phase, as they hope to find finality in a case that has loomed over them for over three years, as Sgt. McCroskey stated, "The family deserves the closure and we’re glad they’re getting it. Obviously, shout out and thank you to all the hard work, the agencies, police agencies that worked together so well on this case. That’s why we’re able to get a guilty plea.”
