Las Vegas, NV: Walmart has a well-known reputation for attracting a unique and loyal customer base, to put it gently. Well it just got a tad bit more interesting as a female shopper and her friend weres accused of getting into a dispute with a male shopper that led her to call for backup, her husband, and told him to “bring a gun”, police said.
Her request was fulfilled, but at the cost of one person being injured and her husband getting killed after he approached law enforcement officers who were forced to shoot him.
The woman, Raqiyah Ward, age unknown, and her friend, Ameea Blue, started fighting with a male customer, Kwame Swain, who was already arguing with his own girlfriend outside the store. Police reported that Ward had made aggressive comments toward the couple as she walked by them, which quickly escalated into a fight.
As the individuals involved were arguing and fighting, rocks and punches were thrown at each other. But it is not clear who exactly did what during the scuffle other than Ward was overheard calling for her husband to come.
One witness told police she heard Ward tell her husband, later identified as Travis Ward, to “bring a gun.” Travis arrived with a pistol and she told him that “he’s inside, no shirt” to help her husband identify the other male and his girlfriend.
“Travis Ward allegedly whipped out the handgun and blasted Swain in the middle of the store, sending customers and employees scattering as police arrived. The arrest report says he tried to shoot Swain multiple times but his gun malfunctioned,” a local media outlet reported.
Cops from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department swiftly responded to the Walmart after receiving calls of shots fired early in the morning, just after the store opened. Authorities stated that Travis was seen by police exiting the store still brandishing the pistol in his hand.
"LVMPD communications received a call for service, stating that numerous subjects were involved in a physical altercation inside," a police representative told the local press.
He added, “As an officer arrived, he heard what he believed to be a gunshot coming from inside the business, immediately followed by a suspect exiting the business holding a firearm. That caused the officer to discharge his firearm, striking the suspect. … He was pronounced deceased on scene."
Police then entered the store where they found the initial gunshot victim, Swain, experiencing severe pain. He was medically evaluated by emergency medical services and taken to a local hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
Onlookers of the incident were left in shock from the ordeal.
One witness, Christopher Goodloe, told local media, "I literally came to get some Tylenol so I can do my morning walk, and I came into a scene looking like Baghdad! I can't believe it, man. Thirty-two years and I never experienced this in my life. Vegas has changed quite a bit."
Another witness said, "Honestly, it was scary because a lot of families live in the area. I'm here all the time, so to hear something like this happened at our local Walmart is crazy. I never thought it would happen over here."
The prosecution placed blame on Ward and her friend Blue and accused them of starting the incident from the very beginning.
"This entire incident stems from a physical fight that was started by this defendant, the co-defendant and then enlisting someone [husband] to come and show up with a firearm," a prosecutor said.
Ward is being held without bail while Blue, who has three prior convictions, has a $25,000 bail. Both are expected back in court this week.
Swain is facing multiple misdemeanor counts and is recovering.
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Writer and author Eddie Molina has over 25 years of combined LEO and military service. Learn more about his interview articles at www.eddiemolina.com.
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