ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The mother of the 19-year-old shot and killed outside Walmart on Saturday is calling for murder charges against the gunman.
Arthur Adams was stealing diapers and in a confrontation with a Walmart employee, when another customer stepped in and shot Adams to death, deputies said.
Marcia Adams said she didn't think the gunman should have stepped in to the situation in the parking lot and fire at her son, whom she said was unarmed.
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Previous stories on Walmart shooting:
Reward offered for information on 3rd suspect involved Walmart theft that led to shooting
Stealing diapers not a reason to kill, says mother of shoplifter slain outside Orlando Walmart
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Arthur Adams had a long criminal record, and although she admits her son wasn’t perfect, she believes he did what he did to take care of her since his father died.
"The things he was doing were wrong and I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t,” Marcia Adams said.
The Walmart customer who deputies said shot Arthur Adams told deputies he thought the 19-year-old was reaching for a gun, so he opened fire.
So far, the name of the gunman has not been released, and sheriff's investigators haven't said if he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
But on Tuesday, the undersheriff confirmed investigators plan to file charges of some kind against the shooter.
"No, I don't want some sort of charges. I want murder charges. He murdered my son,” said Marcia Adams.
Marcia Adams has not spoken with deputies since Saturday. She's waiting and grieving, and calling for what she believes is justice for her son.
"I sit here and wait for him to walk through the door and he's not coming through it. He's not coming through it. He's never gonna come through that door again,” she said.
Deputies have only described the shooter as a 50-year-old black man.
Cox Media Group
