One teenager has been arrested and another remains on the run after a fight outside a Georgia Walmart led to the shooting death of an 81-year-old Navy veteran.
Last Wednesday, the veteran, James McDaniel, reportedly left a Walmart in Gainesville, Ga., on his mobility scooter when he was caught in gunfire, Gainesville Police told local news outlet Gray Local Media.
Police told the publication the shooting took place as part of a fight between two teenagers and a group of men in the Walmart parking lot at around 7 p.m. McDaniel was an innocent bystander, officials added.
Kamari Nehemiah Tilmuth, 18, was one of the teens arrested on Sunday during execution of a search warrant, according to a police statement issued on social media.
He is charged with felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Police are still searching for the second teenager, Erron Lamar Dorsey, 17, who they said faces the same charges as Tilmuth.
Law enforcement officials warn not to “attempt to approach or apprehend” Dorsey should they come in contact with him.
Veteran and Postal Worker Was ‘Fun, Loving Guy’
“My dad was just kind of a fun, loving guy,” McDaniel’s son, Ted McDaniel, told Gray Local Media. “We always knew he loved us.”
“The consequences of their actions took my father’s life,” he added, speaking of the alleged shooters. “That’s a really hard pill to swallow. He’ll always be a part of my heart, even though he was taken from us.”
McDaniel enlisted in the Navy when he turned 18 and continued his service in the Navy Reserve, according to a fundraiser created by his family. After leaving the military, he worked for 23 years at the U.S. Postal Service.
“I just feel like they’ve ruined their lives, too,” McDaniel’s wife of nearly 60 years, Gloria McDaniel, told the outlet. “And they did something that was wrong—very, very wrong—and they need to be punished.”
Between 15,000 to 20,000 people die each year from gun homicides and unintentional shootings. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) does not track specific data relating to the number of veterans who die every year from firearms.
According to public health research from Everytown Support Fund, veterans make up roughly 1 in 10 of all U.S. gun deaths (including suicides).
Anyone with information regarding Dorsey’s whereabouts is urged to call the Gainesville Police Department’s tip line at (770) 533-5873 or submit information through the online tip portal at www.gainesville.org.
