Terrifying body camera footage shows the exact moment a brazen Ohio shoplifter attempted to execute a police officer at point-blank range inside a Walmart—only failing because his gun did not fire.
Authorities say the suspect, Shane Newman, 21, was mere inches from killing a law enforcement officer when he pulled the trigger and nothing happened.
The incident unfolded Thursday afternoon at a Walmart in Canton, Ohio, after store security flagged Newman and Katarina Jeffrey, 23, for allegedly trying to leave without paying for merchandise. Loss prevention did what many big-city prosecutors refuse to support these days: they called the police.
When the responding officer arrived, both suspects were escorted to the store’s loss prevention office. Bodycam footage—placed on a table inside the room—shows a deceptively calm start.
The officer asked Newman a standard question: did he have anything on him police should know about? Newman claimed he only had a cellphone. Moments later, he voluntarily handed over a container of illegal drugs, according to Fox 8. As they sat on a couch, Newman tried to distance himself from the theft, telling a Walmart employee, “I told her not to steal.”
That excuse didn’t fly. “You did it too,” a woman off camera shot back. “She watched you walk over and put an item in the bag off the shelf.”
Then, in a heartbeat, everything changed.
After several seconds of silence, Newman slowly reached into his backpack—then suddenly yanked out a handgun and aimed it directly at the officer’s head, just steps away. “No, no, no, no, no, no!” Jeffrey screamed as the room erupted into chaos.
The officer shouted “Hey!” as a heroic Walmart security guard lunged forward, grabbing the gun and wrestling it away while the officer drew his own weapon. Jeffrey bolted to the other side of the room as Newman was tackled and cuffed. Miraculously, no shots were fired. But not for lack of trying.
Recounting the incident to his commanding officer, the shaken deputy said Newman “pulls the gun out, points it at my head and pulls the trigger. It doesn’t go off.”
The officer later admitted that just moments before the attempted execution, he had discovered Newman had an active arrest warrant and was officially classified as “armed and dangerous.” He also acknowledged he had missed the firearm during the initial search—a sobering reminder of how fast routine police work can turn deadly. Police also revealed Jeffrey allegedly had two 9mm rounds of ammunition on her.
Newman now faces a long list of serious charges, including attempted murder, felonious assault on a peace officer, robbery, aggravated drug possession, and having weapons under disability due to his criminal history. He is being held in the Stark County Jail on a $1 million bond. Jeffrey was charged with complicity to commit robbery and having weapons under disability for possessing ammunition.
Canton Police Chief John Gabbard called the incident a sobering reminder of the daily dangers officers face. “This incident is a reminder of the ever-present threat of violence against police officers and the gracious provision of God’s protection,” Gabbard said Friday. “Thank you to all of you who regularly pray with me for our officers and our community.”
Walmart also praised the quick-thinking employee who helped stop a tragedy.
“The safety and security of our customers and associates is always a top priority,” a Walmart spokesperson told the Daily Mail. “We’re proud of the brave action our asset protection associate took to maintain the safety of everyone in our store.”
