Legacy of love overshadows Wilson woman's sudden death

WRAL TV ^ | 5/20/2011 | Ken Smith

[Renderofveils]

Rochelle Pender's family and co-workers were stunned Friday to learn that the smiling Walmart greeter was dead. Police said employees at the 2500 Forest Hills Road store were chasing a suspected shoplifter Wednesday when someone ran into Pender. She fell and hit her head and died two days later.

...

A Walmart spokesman said Pender, 71, had been with the company for 15 years and was a beloved member of the team at the Wilson store.

"She's going to be greeting people in heaven now," Langley said.

[machogirl]

According to witnesses, the alleged shoplifter ran her over.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8143118

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Police said employees at the 2500 Forest Hills Road store were chasing a suspected shoplifter Wednesday when someone ran into Pender. She fell and hit her head and died two days later.

Good grief. If they could detain the shoplifter safely for the police, fine. Chasing him through a crowded store filled with people - where the odds of some random bystander getting knocked over are excellent - is just stupid.

[I still care]

You know what’s going to happen? Walmart is going to get sued for the chase.

That’s why these store FIRE YOUR BUTT if you try to apprehend a crook, safely or not.

It’s a darn shame, and I guess the sign of a corrupt culture.

[babygene]

I personally witnessed two assaults on suspected shoplifters who both turned out not to have shoplifted at all, by employees of Home Depot and the other at a grocery store. In both cases the suspect was injured, in one case pretty bad. Bad enough to have an ambulance called. So are we going to argue that it was alright because they “thought” he took something.

This is similar in that a woman was killed by the employees in their zest to apprehend a suspect that may or not have been guilty of anything at that point. The responsibility for this tragedy is on Walmart, not on the guy they were running after. If he was a shoplifter, bad on him, but he is not the one who endangered this woman and ultimately
killed her.

From the article, we don’t know that the suspect was doing anything other than Blythefully walking to his car. The assault almost for sure happened AFTER the women was injured, since the security boys wouldn’t have approached him until he exited the store and the greeter would have been inside. Him assaulting someone after she was hurt can’t be a contributing factor in her injury.

[kateskid]

I worked as a greeter for several years at the local WalMart. We (the other greeters and me) figured on any given night at least $300 dollars in games and CD's walked out the door. About once a week a computer or big TV would grow legs. The management wouldn't allow us to take any proactive actions to stop the flow. I figure the management had to be in on the action.

[presently no screen name]

Him assaulting someone after she was hurt can’t be a contributing factor in her injury.

Right. I thought he wrestled his way away from those holding him INSIDE the store and when making his escape - they ran after him towards the door and someone knocked down the victim by the door.

I had no idea one has to wait until they leave the store for them to be accused of shoplifting. So this assault had to happen outside the store - but the victim was inside? Did others not involve come running out and knock her over?

[babygene]

“Right. I thought he wrestled his way away from those holding him INSIDE the store and when making his escape - they ran after him towards the door and someone knocked down the victim by the door.”

Until he removes the goods from the store, it’s not shoplifting. How are you going to prove he didn’t intend to pay for it??? Won’t work and shouldn’t...

[babygene]

“Did others not involve come running out and knock her over?”

Probably... It is not shoplifting to put something in your pocket and take it up to the register and pay for it. You would never be challenged before you left the store.

[presently no screen name]

yeah but we have no idea what he took or what they thought he was taking. Hopefully, their camera’s can tell the tale. Putting something in a pocket is one thing but putting it up your shirt is another.

Actually, I could less about that guy the sad thing in how this woman lost her life over shoplifting or presumed shoplifting. And I can’t understand that some would be running after him on a ‘presumed shoplifting’. If the law is it’s only considered shoplifting once outside the doors so be it - but the act had to happen first inside the store - where the lady was.

[gman992]

Never would’ve happened if Dick Cheney was the greeter!

[presently no screen name]

??

[presently no screen name]

Thanks. I didn’t read it closely enough. So the shoplifter is the one who collided with the greeter, the victim, in his haste to avoid the foot pursuit.

[babygene]

Excuse me, but there would never be a foot pursuit within the store. ou can’t be guilty until you exit without paying for it. Within the store,how are they going to prove you didn’t intend to pay for it?

[babygene]

Let’s just say that someone with a eighth grade education “thought” they saw you put something in your pocket at home depot. Of course you didn’t, and this person was just an idiot...

Once you exited the store they perused you and in the process ran down a elderly person and that person died...

Are you at fault? Wake up...

[babygene]

yeah but we have no idea what he took or what they thought he was taking. Hopefully, their camera’s can tell the tale.”

it really doesn’t matter what it was, you can’t prove the intent not to pay until you leave the store with out paying.

[presently no screen name]

Within the store,how are they going to prove you didn’t intend to pay for it?

Well to a common sense jury - the fact he knocked over the greeter by the door, as he was hurrying to leave the store - so hard was the knock over she hit her head and subsequently died. Don't think there are registers by the door in walmart where he was hurrying to pay. And being knocked over is not a shove where you can loss balance - I'd say there was some speed behind it for the damage she suffered.

His eyes were on the door - not on who was in front of him. We aren't talking rocket science here. And we know the greeter is at the door not at the register.

[presently no screen name]

Once you exited the store they perused you and in the process ran down a elderly person and that person died...Are you at fault? Wake up...

Well if the person did not take anything - why the haste to leave and knock over a lady in the process? Guilty run, innocence doesn't. That's some powerful moving to knock someone over - it's wasn't a shove that we all have experienced one time or another. It's his fast moving right into a person that caused the death - no one else. No one was chasing him out of the store - he apparently wanted to leave quickly.

[Renderofveils]

Let’s just say that someone with a eighth grade education “thought” they saw you put something in your pocket at home depot. Of course you didn’t, and this person was just an idiot...

Once you exited the store they perused you and in the process ran down a elderly person and that person died...

Are you at fault? Wake up...

Let me let you know how this would go.

"Excuse me sir, can I check your receipt?"

"Sure."

[Renderofveils]

The responsibility for this tragedy is on Walmart, not on the guy they were running after. If he was a shoplifter, bad on him, but he is not the one who endangered this woman and ultimately killed her.

And by the way, he was out on bond for felony charges of obtaining property by false pretenses.

[babygene]

“Well to a common sense jury - the fact he knocked over the greeter by the door, as he was hurrying to leave the store - so hard was the knock over she hit her head and subsequently died.”

Re-read the article. The article doesn’t say he was running or that he was the one who knocked over the lady. It suggests that those trying to apprehend him knocked her over.