A shooting inside the Walmart SuperCenter on Whiskey Road in Aiken injured one on Wednesday evening and led to the quick capture of the male suspect, authorities said.
Aiken police responded to the store at 7:34 p.m. Wednesday and found a single victim with a gunshot wound.
“ADPS Officers rendered aid to the victim and EMS responded to the scene,” Lt. Joe O’Conor said in a press release. “The victim was transported by EMS to a local hospital for treatment.”
Aiken police did not confirm online posts that the victim was a 14-year-old girl named Ashton who was reportedly shot in the stomach.
The shooting disrupted activity at the business as authorities evacuated the store and had some fleeing for whatever exit they could find.
Aiken police said they expected to release more information on Thursday morning.
A witness said police caught the suspect at the KFC.
On Facebook, Timothy Ball said the girl shot was his cousin’s daughter, an eighth grader who was shot while shopping with her mother and ended up at Augusta University Medical Center.
“The bullet hit her bowels and her main artery in her leg,” he said late Wednesday “They weren’t able to remove the bullet but have repaired the hole. She will have to have multiple surgeries. She is stable and in recovery.”
The mother, Ashley Rickard, said her daughter was “responsive” and wanted everyone to know she loved them.
“Y’all know my girls are tough and they are fighters,” Ashley Rickard wrote on Facebook. “Please continue praying for our baby.”
