A man who shot a woman and her 1-year-old grandson to death inside a Florida supermarket had been posting threats on social media about killing people, including children, but no one reported him.
Man shoots woman and her 1-year-old grandson to death inside supermarket
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Friday that Timothy J. Wall, 55, who killed the 69-year-old woman and her grandson inside a Publix supermarket in Royal Palm Beach on Thursday morning, had been making threats on Facebook as recently as the day before the shooting.
“He has said, ‘I want to kill people and children.’ He has friends. Obviously, they saw it,” Bradshaw said at a press conference.
“His ex-wife said he’s been acting strangely. He thinks he’s being followed. He’s paranoid – you think a damn soul told us about it?”
Under Florida’s Red Flag Law, a law enforcement agency can seek an order from a judge to confiscate the firearms of any person who is shown to be a danger to himself or others and keep the weapons for one year.
This period may be extended if the agency demonstrates that the person continues to be a danger.
The law was enacted in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February 14, 2018.
Wall’s Facebook page was deactivated Thursday, Bradshaw said.
Wall first shot the boy after stalking his victims in the grocery store produce aisle.
The child’s grandmother grabbed the gun and jammed it in the process. When Wall attempted to reload, he pushed the woman to the ground.
He then shot her before shooting himself.
“(Wall) approaches her at about 11:34, when he draws his gun, walks from behind one aisle to the next, where the child was parked in her small shopping cart. He draws his gun and fires one round, killing the child.”
The first 911 call came in at 11:35 am EDT, and the first responding officers arrived on the scene five minutes later.
Detectives have found no connection between Wall and the woman, Bradshaw told reporters.
“We’re following up with all sources, talking to all people. But at this point, we’re not finding a connection between him and the family.”
