Dwayne Eduh, Covington, Georgia, Walmart co-worker, shoots three co-workers, killing two before attempting to take his own life during stand-off. Shootings took place at two locations. No known motive.
A Walmart employee in Georgia is alleged to have gunned down a co-worker, injured another at a Covington store before then driving to the home of another worker nearby and shooting that individual dead before then attempting to take their own life.
Dwayne Eduh, 24, is alleged to have shot and killed a co-worker at the Walmart Super center after hours, Thursday night. Another co-worker was also shot but survived.
Newtown County deputies were called to the scene just on Friday morning, 1.30 a.m, with police saying at the time of the shooting, the store was closed, with only employees inside the building.
Why did Georgia employee gun down 3 co-workers?
Prior to the shooting, Eduh, left the building, got a gun and went back inside where he shot and killed another employee. While exiting the building, he ran into another worker and shot him, too. That person was taken to the hospital in critical condition WTVM reported.
But there was more to come.
Eduh then went about two miles away to a house on Emerson Trail, broke in and fatally shot a woman, who deputies also identified as a Walmart co-worker.
The sheriff’s office identified the deceased as Khalaf Barksdale, 21, and Akeela Clarke, 19. Ryan Bradley, 29, was transported to an area hospital and was said to be in stable condition.
‘This was not an active shooter situation,’ the sheriff’s office said. ‘The suspect specifically targeted individuals they knew.’
Eduh was found and arrested in Aiken, South Carolina, about 150 miles east of Covington.
Eduh shot himself during a standoff with Aiken County deputies on Interstate 20. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition. No deputies were injured.
Previous instances of gun violence at Covington, Walmart store
Speaking to Atlanta News First, Akeela’s mom stated her daughter came running into her room around 1:30 a.m. Friday morning screaming that a man was in the house.
‘He just, like I said, shot through the bedroom door, charged through the bedroom, applied about seven to eight shots and that was it,’ Samantha Clarke, Clarke’s mother told the outlet. ‘And he ran down the stairs and that was it.’
The mother said she had no idea why her daughter or other workers were shot.
‘Akeela was one of the most vibrant and joyful individuals you could ever meet, and this tragedy will leave an enduring wound in our family,’ her sister wrote in an online fundraiser for Clarke’s memorial service. ‘… No parent should ever have to bury their child, let alone witness their death.’
In a statement, Walmart said the ‘team’ is ‘heartbroken’ by what happened.
‘There’s no place for violence in our stores,’ the statement continued. ‘We’re focused on taking care of our associates and supporting law enforcement with their investigation.’
It remained unclear what led to the Eduh targeting his co-workers. And what prior grievances may have taken at the place of work along with how those matters were dealt. If at all.
Deputies said the Walmart would be closed on Friday.
The shooting isn’t the first time the Covington Walmart has seen violence between employees. Last October, two men were arrested after deputies said they fired shots at each other during an argument in the store’s parking lot. It remained unclear what led to the fellow workers resorting to gun violence against each other.
