A man was shot inside the Walmart at 2823 West Valencia Road in Pima County Tuesday afternoon, and investigators say it appears to have been an accident. The Pima County Sheriff's Department said the shooting happened around 1 p.m., and the man was taken to a hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening.
According to KOLD, detectives believe the shooting was a likely accidental, self-inflicted incident. The store was expected to close while investigators worked the scene, and deputies reported there was no threat to the public. A separate report from telemundoarizona.com likewise described the gunfire as appearing accidental, noting the injured person was transported to a hospital with wounds that do not put their life at risk.
Store Closed as Deputies Secured the Scene
With the investigation underway, Walmart shut its doors at the Valencia Road location, and people were asked to avoid the area, per the same Spanish-language account. The sheriff's department has not released further details about who fired the weapon beyond the finding that one person shot themselves.
No additional information about the injured man's identity, age, or condition has been made public.
Not the First Walmart Parking Lot Scare in the Tucson Area
Shootings tied to Walmart properties have made headlines elsewhere in the Tucson region before. A separate tucson.com report described a fatal shooting involving an Oro Valley police officer in the parking lot of a busy Walmart shopping center on the city's North Side, though that case stemmed from a separate investigation unrelated to Tuesday's incident on Valencia Road.
Pima County deputies have not released any further updates since confirming there was no danger to shoppers or the surrounding neighborhood. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
