Knife-wielding man accused of stalking Walmart employee charged with 2 counts of attempted murder

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A 51-year-old man seriously injured in a deputy-involved shooting Tuesday afternoon outside an Orange County Walmart has been charged with two counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

The man, Abrahan Canaan, is accused of going to the Walmart Neighborhood Market to stalk an employee armed with a 9-inch knife, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

Capt. Angelo Nieves said Canaan had caused trouble in the store earlier in the day.

When a deputy responded to the scene, they said they found Canaan outside the store holding a 9-inch knife in the air, and they said he wouldn’t stop at the deputy’s demands.

Nieves said that Canaan ran to a car behind the store and tried to run them down with car, so they opened fire. At least one bullet hit Canaan in the torso.

Deputies said Canaan drove away and crashed on Chickasaw trail and State Road 408 where they were able to get him medical attention. Deputies said they found an ax in Canaan's car.

The two deputies involved in the shooting were not injured.

“Someone who is a threat to our community, who is not all there, who is walking around with a buck knife, has an ax in his car, and is stalking females,” Nieves said. "You've got shoppers, you've got employees, you've probably got children in that parking lot with their families coming and going. He's a threat to the community and also those deputies."

Canaan is also accused of stalking two other women, who have filed injunctions against him.

According to court filings, the woman told investigators that Canaan had been leaving gifts at their door in January.

The items he left included water bottles, coffee, a sandwich, chocolate and cigarettes, court documents said.

The women left a note on the door asking Canaan to stop, but when he found it he started yelling and cursing at them, in English and Spanish, the injunctions said.

“He is a dangerous person that seems to be crazy and makes us feel very fearful and unsafe,” the women claimed.

Chickasaw Trail was shut down in both directions between State Road 408 and Lake Underhill for several hours as deputies investigated.

A witness of the Walmart shooting told Channel 9 she saw the man hiding something under his arm and mumbling until something set him off and he made a beeline to the back of the store.

“I heard, like, lots of banging, which caused a lot of people from the shops to run out of the store panicked,” said witness Alina Miller.

The witnesses said they heard at least eight gunshots.

Deputies said although Canaan remains in the hospital, he is in the custody of the Orange County Jail.

He was initially listed in critical condition and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has not released an update on his status.

Cox Media Group