Bond denied for 18-year-old in Riverdale Walmart shooting
RIVERDALE, Ga. - The 18-year-old man accused of opening fire inside a busy Riverdale Walmart that sent shoppers fleeing for their lives Thursday night will remain behind bars for now.
Matthew Thomas Jr. of Hampton was arrested Friday in connection with the gunfire. Thomas was charged with aggravated assault. He appeared before a magistrate judge via video and was denied bond.
Police said the shooting started just after 6 p.m. Thursday evening at the store on the 700 block of Ga. Highway 85.
According to investigators, the incident began when Thomas and another man got into an argument in the Walmart's meat section. At some point, Thomas began firing, hitting the other man.
One shopper told FOX 5, he heard at least 10 to 15 shots fired inside the store.
"I heard the shots - like pop - and I left," he said.
Man shot inside Riverdale Walmart after argument, police say
Gunfire erupted inside a metro Atlanta Walmart sending shoppers scrambling. Police said the gunman is still on the loose. Law enforcement from more than a half-dozen agencies swarmed the store on Georgia Highway 85. Police believe it started as a fight between two men in the meat department.
Thomas fled during panic that followed, police said.
"All of the sudden we saw a rush of a crowd people running from the back of the store saying ‘Gunman, get down' and that's what everyone started running," a female shopper said.
She said she found herself fleeing the gunfire with her 8-year-old and 2-year-old sons in tow.
"He just kept saying, ‘Mommy, mommy, I’m not going to leave you.' So I was just trying to push him out the door and grab my other son out of the buggy," she said.
An off-duty Riverdale police officer working security called the shooting into dispatchers, leading to a massive and prompt response from multiple jurisdictions. Law enforcement officers from Riverdale, Clayton County Jonesboro, South Fulton, the ATF, the US Marshalls, and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded and assisted in clearing the store.
Investigators then spent the evening reviewing surveillance video and combing over the scene for evidence.
Police surround the Walmart in Riverdale after reports of shots being fired on July 7, 2022. (FOX 5 viewer)
Officials have not said what Thomas' possible connection to the victim is.
Medics rushed the victim to a nearby hospital. Their name and condition has not been released.