Why can't some people leave Wal-Mart alone?

[TexasStooge]

Burglary suspect dead after Wal-Mart shooting

CEDAR HILL, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - A burglary suspect died after he was shot by a uniformed police officer at a Cedar Hill Super Wal-Mart store Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Dallas County Sheriff spokesman Don Peritz said Jefrey Spradling, 44, was wanted on felony warrants out of Ellis County. Deputies there had previously contacted the Cedar Hill Police Department about tracking down the suspect and arresting him.

Peritz said plainclothes officers from both agencies followed Spradling to a Wal-Mart in the 600 block of Uptown, just off Highway 67 and FM 1382. Officers confronted him just outside the store around 1:30 p.m., and the suspect ran back into the Wal-Mart.

Spradling then brandished what appeared to be a semiautomatic weapon at a Cedar Hill police officer and the officer opened fire twice, hitting the suspect.

"I was in the nail salon getting my nails done, and I heard, 'STOP! STOP!' and then pop, pop, pop ... a series of shots," said witness Sheryl Thompson.

A medical helicopter flew Spradling to a Dallas hospital, where he later died. No one else was injured in the shooting.

News 8 has learned a vehicle Spradling had been driving was recovered at the scene. That vehicle had been taken in a carjacking earlier in the day in Atlanta, Texas, and inside officers found a variety of stolen credit cards and IDs that didn't belong to the suspect.

Peritz said Spradling may have been responsible for several identity theft cases in North Texas. He added that authorities have detained the man's girlfriend, 40-year-old Melinda Albert, who was at the store during the shooting. Albert faces Bexar County warrants for failure to appear on child support issues.

The Dallas County Sheriff's Department has been called to do an independent investigation into the incident. The officer who opened fire is a six-year veteran with Cedar Hill police.

WFAA-TV's Rebecca Lopez and Gerardo Lopez, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.