On May 2, 2023, a fatal shooting occurred inside a Walmart store located at 3001 N. State Road 7 in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. The victim, identified by family members as Thierry Bastien, a 41-year-old man, was fatally shot by an off-duty Walmart employee.
The incident began when the off-duty employee, 22-year-old Tironie Shavar Sterling, arrived at the store to meet a female employee.
Sterling and the female employee became involved in an argument that escalated into a physical confrontation near the frozen food section of the store. During this altercation, Sterling dropped a firearm on the floor and attempted to steal the female’s cell phone, demanding to view her text messages.
As the confrontation intensified, Thierry Bastien, who was a customer in the store shopping with his girlfriend and two children, intervened to assist the female employee. This led to a physical altercation between Bastien and Sterling. During the altercation, Sterling picked up his gun and shot Bastien multiple times. Detectives later found 10 spent 9mm bullet casings at the scene.
Bastien was found by deputies and fire rescue with gunshot wounds in his chest, back, and lower extremities. He was airlifted to Broward Health Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Sterling fled the scene on a scooter but was taken into custody hours later at an apartment complex about a mile south of the store. Video footage showed authorities, including SWAT teams, chasing Sterling through the parking lot before he was apprehended. Sterling led detectives to a grocery bag containing the handgun used in the shooting.
Sterling was charged with murder while engaged in a certain felony offense and robbery by sudden snatching with a firearm or weapon. He was held without bond and faced termination of his employment at Walmart.
The incident caused significant panic in the store, with customers and employees fleeing to the exits upon hearing the gunshots. No other injuries were reported. The community expressed shock and fear over the incident, and Walmart offered heartfelt condolences to Bastien’s family, praising law enforcement for their swift action in arresting the suspect.
