Police Eying Wal-Mart Trample Video

Could Charge NY Shoppers Who Stampeded A Long Island Store, Killing Worker

(CBS/AP)  Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify who trampled to death a Wal-Mart worker after a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down.

Criminal charges were possible, but identifying individual shoppers in Friday's video may prove difficult, said Detective Lt. Michael Fleming, a Nassau County police spokesman.

Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries. The store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors before its 5 a.m. opening at a mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the employee, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," Fleming said. He described the scene as "utter chaos," and said the store didn't have enough security.

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store.

Damour, 34, of Queens, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone.

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling `I've been on line since yesterday morning,"' she said. "They kept shopping."

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store. It said it tried to prepare for the crowd by adding staffers and outside security workers, putting up barricades and consulting police.

"Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred," senior Vice President Hank Mullany said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those impacted."

A woman reported being trampled by overeager customers at a Wal-Mart opening Friday in Farmingdale, about 15 miles east of Valley Stream, Suffolk County police said. She suffered minor injuries, but finished shopping before filling the report, police said.

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

Items on sale at the Valley Stream Wal-Mart included a Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $798, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.

[melodybutler]

I pray for these people. Does anyone remember the true reason and meaning for CHRISTmas???

[misogynist10]

This is a perfect reflection of what America has become. Responsible people would be saving money to survive the upcoming Depression, and here these soul-less, pleasure seeking zombies prove to the remaining civilized world that America is one big insane asylum.

[donevis-2009]

Better read that again, sounds more like a ultra right winger to me.

[donevis-2009]

Someone announced a "Blue Light Special" before the doors opened.

[clovernyc]

We should all be afraid, very afraid that we live in a society where people literally trample a man to death for a sale on a 50 inch flat screen.

Now they can watch what they have done in HD.

[f15tiger]

Morons & worse yet; Wal-Mart Morons.
WakeUpWalMart.com

[dollamel]

it says "cell phone video" in the top right corner if you are able to bring yourself to watch it again.

[matrixrx2003]

Everybody has to Panic and Rush and get the Deals and Bargins before everybody else, push and shove and be rude that the Christmas Holidays.

Gotta HAVE IT ALL !

[usclimey]

Alright who ever filmed this is equally as disgusting of a human being as the first mob of people lined up @ the door.

Posted by Beth016

Ya think maybe it was an automatic security camera???

[usclimey]

This is eactly the same situation as yelling fire in a crowd, except this time it was Wallmart doing the shouting. People have benn trampled by crowds at rock concerts, soccer matches, religious festivals basically anywhere where ther''s an out of control crowd. Black Friday and its early bird sales have been a disaster in waiting for years. I''m sorry for this man (no matter what his name is) and his family, but glad it was only one peroson rather than the hundreds we see in India and Arabia during pilgrimages.

[cwbyht]

Are there really that many people who are still stupid enough to shop at Mal Wart, your source of cheap plastic ***? Communist sympathizers they are and supporters of Christian fascists. And against America, freedom and democracy.


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Posted by noloyalisti at 01:18 AM : Dec 01, 2008




Are there really Libtards like you running around loose?

[getoffmine1]

revoke every persons credit card with a household income under $75,000.00 a year and you won''t have these types of problems. Won''t have people defaulting on their balances either.

[tireslinger]

I like Walmart, shop there quite a bit, actually. However, regardless, I am of the thought that they have liability also. If the authorities can identify any shoppers responsible for this man''s death, I hope that they go after them, also. What they did to this man, along with any who refused to leave, after the announcement of a death was made, was beyond disgusting...Merry &^%$ing Christmas, people!
Walmart...first of all, what manager(s) in any sort of a facility, would put a temporary employee, in such a potentially treacherous situation??? Along with this, who, if they were thinking responsibly, would not have created circumstances, (barriers...etc.), that forced those 2000 shoppers to enter the store in an orderly, safe fashion. They could''ve let, say ten shoppers in, every five minutes, for Pete''s sake! Control was Walmart''s to take, and they failed misereably.

[riddelup]

View the video and put them all in jail including the ones in the back pushing. Put them in jail for rabid shopping. Then outlaw black Friday and similar events.

[rixmix98]

Beth016-

I agree with you about this being a horrible tragedy and how disgusting it seems to be that people forget the true reason we celebrate the season. However, I''m curious about something. You indicate that the individual responsible for filming this was as sick as the others, but are you sure it wasn''t just caught on a surveillance camera? I guess maybe I''m hoping against hope that people cannot be that callous.

[earache4]

Did a gun go off in the crowd at Wal-Mart?
Posted by wlmrtpatriot at 06:55 PM :

Sometimes lightning will spook a herd into a stampede, or even a rattle snake....

[beth016]

Has everyone forgot the meaning of Christmas? The reason we celebrate this holiday? Step foot in a church sumtime & educate yourself! My last thought is to Walmart. Who is the store manager of this place? Does he not have the balls to open the doors himself?! You''re goin to leave that up to a poor guy who was just hired by a temp agency, probably to pick up an extra job, so he himself can make a little extra $ for the da*n holiday to buy his family gifts as well! He was hired to do maitenance for sh*ts sake! Why the he** does he have to be the poor guy to open the da*n door! They should''ve had the *** Angels there to open those doors! I bet a single file line might have been formed! Happy $@^&*%Holidays! :)

[beth016]

Alright who ever filmed this is equally as disgusting of a human being as the first mob of people lined up @ the door. Though you may not have been among the first initial burst of crowd to have actually been part of the trampling or to have stepped over his lifeless body, you are just as sick! Of course sumone is goin to film it, but here you are let me bust out my phone i''m sure with the intent of "might not be able to get that 50" t.v, but i know the news will want this!" And to laugh?! You hear a female laugh as if people actually think it''s funny! Yea bet it wouldn''t be so da*n funny if it was your GHETTO a** layin there or sumone you knew & loved! As an American i am disgusted & to think how many babies r born into this country each hour only to be brought into this SICK SICK world! Judgement day is coming for all of us! I hope your little holiday savings are worth your eternity! I hear hell is a pretty crowded place these days!

[noloyalisti]

Are there really that many people who are still stupid enough to shop at Mal Wart, your source of cheap plastic ***? Communist sympathizers they are and supporters of Christian fascists. And against America, freedom and democracy.

[martin9p2]

Everbody here is blaming the shoppers. I blame them and WalMart equally. Walmart is the discount store king of the world, and they should have known and they probably did know that allowing people to queue up outside at midnight, or wahtever time, always creates dangerous situations when the doors are opened. It "forces" people to act like mice in a maze. I have seen it.