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Police: Ross employee began shooting after argument over shopping cart

Arrest report gives more details about argument
Posted at 2:15 PM, Aug 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-15 19:23:16-04

Las Vegas police said Saturday's shooting at a Ross near Blue Diamond Road and Valley View Boulevard happened after a loss prevention greeter got angry over a shopping cart.

RELATED: Shopper claims emergency door would not open during Ross store shooting

A store policy says that customers are not allowed to take shopping carts outside of the store. According to a press conference Tuesday, Mohamed Mahmoud got angry about a customer leaving a cart by the front door. 

In an arrest report released Wednesday, Mahmoud was told that a customer with a large purchase was leaving the shopping cart by the front door. When he asked about it over walkie-talkie, the supervisor reminded that the customer was leaving the shopping cart by the front door.

The report states Mahmoud then approached the supervisor at the register and began yelling at her, pointing at her and slamming his hand on the register. Despite this, Mahmoud told the supervisor that she should not talk to him that way and disrespect him. 

The supervisor then told Mahmoud that he should wait for her in the break room and they would talk about the issue there, not in front of a customer. Another supervisor attempted to intervene before the arrest report states Mahmoud "became irate" with him as well.

The supervisor told police that is when Mahmoud pointed at her and the other supervisor and said, "I will kill you both." He then took off his vest and threw it at the female supervisor, who then said she was going to call the store manager.  

That is when Mahmoud went to his vehicle and got his gun. Police said as Mahmoud walked back toward the business, he fired the gun in the parking lot, causing people to run for cover. 

Mahmoud then entered the Ross and fired a round into the ceiling as he looked for the supervisor, who was in the back. He fired multiple rounds at her as she ran toward the front of the store. According to Mahmoud's arrest report, she said if he had better aim, he would have killed her.

According to the report, the male supervisor tried to escape through the back emergency door but it would not open. The supervisor told police he knew Mahmoud was coming after him so he crawled through the store so he could escape. The supervisor then told people outside there was an active shooter.

Shortly after Mahmoud left the store, he fired his gun at arriving patrol vehicles. Officer Bryon Bunitsky fired 5 rounds from about 50 yards away and struck Mahmoud in the lower body.

Police said Mahmoud fired a total of 16 rounds. 

INTERACTIVE MAP: Shootings involving Las Vegas valley officers in 2018

After he was shot, two off-duty Las Vegas police officers and an off-duty Nye County Sheriff's deputy helped take Mahmoud into custody. The Nye County deputy was visiting that shopping center at the time of the incident.

Mahmoud is still at the hospital and police said he is in stable condition. No one else was injured. 

Police said Mahmoud had no prior criminal history.  

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