A woman was shot and killed while waiting in line at a Walmart in North Carolina by a 17-year-old stranger who wanted to “incite fear,” according to police.
Ezekiel Burden is still on the run after allegedly killing Brandy Nicole Olson, 42, on Friday in Lumberton.
Burden is wanted for first-degree murder, discharge of a firearm in an enclosed space to instill fear, and going armed to terrorize the public, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to the Robeson Police Department, another teenager, 18-year-old Brian Campbell, is being sought in connection with the incident as well.
Campbell is accused of being an accessory after the fact, according to officials, and he remains at large.
When officers arrived to investigate reports of a shooting inside the Walmart, they discovered a woman with gunshot wounds, with bystanders attempting to save her life.
When police arrived, the shooter had already left the scene.
Police later stated that the incident appeared to be “isolated” and that the perpetrators had “targeted two people they knew” who were standing at the Woodforest Bank, located inside the Walmart Super Center.
As gunshots were fired, Olsen, who was waiting in line, was struck and killed.
Her boyfriend, Orlando Farrington, stated that he was waiting outside for Olsen when he heard gunshots and ran inside to find her, only realizing she was the victim as she was being loaded into an ambulance.
“I couldn’t believe it was her,” he told ABC11. “It was hard… I miss her.” On Sunday, friends and family gathered at the restaurant where Olsen worked to honor her memory.
A motive has not been revealed, and an investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information should contact Lumberton Police Department Sergeant Blake Harrell at (910) 671-3845.
