Cops hunt for two men in Bradenton Walmart shooting. They may also have hit other stores

The two suspects in the Tuesday night shooting of a manager at the Walmart on State Road 64 in Bradenton may have also tried to rob a Publix in Palmetto and a Dollar General in Bradenton, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Based on descriptions provided by witnesses, the sheriff’s office said, the same suspects were likely involved in the attempted robbery and shooting at the Walmart late Tuesday, as well as an attempted armed robbery Tuesday afternoon at a Publix in Palmetto, 1108 Eighth Ave. W., during which an employee was pistol-whipped, and an armed robbery at a Dollar General store, 1508 32nd Ave. E., Bradenton.

Deputies say similar descriptions of the two suspects in the Walmart shooting were provided by witnesses at the other two crime scenes.

In the Walmart case, deputies responded to the store at 6225 State Road 64 E.. just after 9:30 p.m. and found that a manager had been shot in the thigh during an attempted robbery.

After reviewing surveillance cameras, deputies said one suspect was described as wearing an orange hat, white shirt, white shorts, white mask and black shoes.

The second suspect was wearing a black long-sleeve sweater, blue jeans, black shoes and a head cover with a white hat on top with the word, “gators.”

Deputies say the two men entered Walmart and went directly to the customer service area where the one of the suspects demanded money. The female clerk said she was not authorized to access the money and called for a store manager.

While one of the suspects was dealing with the employees, deputies say the second suspect was, “acting as a shadow, or lookout.”

When the store manager arrived, the suspect in the orange hat demanded the money, but the manager refused.

The suspect then is seen pointing his gun at the manager’s head, again demanding the money. Again, the manager refused.

Deputies say the continued refusal confused the suspects on what to do next and one of the suspects quickly headed for the exit while the second slowly followed behind. One of the suspects tripped and fell to the ground as the manager followed.

Deputies say once the manager was within a few feet from one of the suspects, he pulled his gun and shot once, striking the manager in the leg.

Both suspects then ran from the scene.

An off-duty deputy arrived just after the shooting and gave aid to the manager with a makeshift tourniquet. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies and K9 units searched for the suspects, but law enforcement determined they likely left the scene in a vehicle and were unable to be located.

Details of the attempted armed robbery at the Publix location in Palmetto on Tuesday afternoon were similar. In that case, the armed suspect wore a white shirt, light shorts, white socks and black shoes, as well as a white mask and a blue baseball cap that read “truck fit,” according to the Palmetto Police Department. The suspect also approached the service counter and demanded money. When he was not immediately successful, the suspect struck a nearby cashier in the head with his pistol before fleeing the store.

The search for the suspects continued on Wednesday afternoon as law enforcement released surveillance footage from the incident at the Walmart. The video shows the armed suspect, gun raised, as he bashes through the automatic doors and exits the store. The second suspect follows behind.

Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff’s at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.

Bradenton Herald staff writers Giuseppe Sabella and Ryan Ballogg contributed to this story.

This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 8:59 AM.