Mitarius Boyd Walgreens Nashville worker shoots 7 month pregnant woman, Travonsha Ferguson multiple times after believing her to be shoplifting. Prosecutors to review whether charges will be forthcoming.
A Walgreens security employee opened fire on a 7 month pregnant woman who allegedly shoplifted from a Nashville outlet — striking her multiple times, leading to doctors performing an emergency C-section to save her baby Wednesday night.
Mitarius Boyd, 21, reportedly witnessed the pregnant woman, 34 year old woman, Travonsha Ferguson and a second individual steal items from the store and confronted them in the parking lot in an exchange of mace and bullets, WKRN reported.
Police said the shooting occurred at around 8 p.m at the East Nashville location of the drug store chain.
The employee said he watched the two women load up a large bag and store cart with items from store shelves and then leave the store with the items without paying, according to cops.
He followed the pair into the parking lot and witnessed them unloading the stolen items into a car trunk. As he moved to approach the women, one of them allegedly took out a can of mace and sprayed the worker.
Self defense?
The staffer then brandished his semi-automatic pistol and began shooting at the alleged shoplifters, police said. He shot the 34-year-old pregnant woman multiple times.
He reportedly told cops that he was afraid and didn’t know if either of the women were armed, according to WSMV. Boyd maintained he acted in self defense.
It remained unclear why the worker resorted to lethal force and hadn’t removed himself from the scene and taken the alleged shoplifter’s details and passed them on to police.
Other commentators wondered what purpose Boyd had sought to serve by following the alleged thieves all the way to their vehicle and simply not called police.
Following the confrontation, the women sped off to hospital. The second woman dropped off her injured, pregnant partner-in-crime at General Hospital and drove off, according to WKRN.
An ambulance then transferred the wounded shoplifter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where doctors performed an emergency C-section to cut out the 7-month-old baby — whom bullets miraculously missed.
Both the woman and her baby are in critical but stable condition.
Police say Boyd cooperated with police and his gun and cell phone were seized.
An October 2022 report describes Boyd causing a disruption and refusing to leave a Nashville Best Buy store when they didn’t have a PlayStation 5 in stock. At the time of the incident, responding officers gave him an opportunity to walk away and out of the store, only for Boyd to refuse to leave while arguing with officers. He was taken into custody and charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.
Once the investigation is complete, detectives will take their findings to the District Attorney’s Office for a determination as to whether Boyd will face charges.
