Holly MatkinPhoenix, AZ – A man who witnesses said had a gun on his waistband was shot by a QuikTrip security guard during a heated argument on Tuesday.
The confrontation occurred at the QuikTrip station near Cactus Road and 28th Drive at approximately 8:30 a.m. on May 30, KSAZ reported.
Witnesses said they saw a man walk out of the convenience store and over to a vehicle parked at the gas pumps as a security guard followed behind him.
The security guard and the man then got into a heated argument, according to KSAZ.
Witnesses told the news outlet it appeared the man adjusted his waistband at one point just before the security guard shot him.
“They got into it,” one witness told KPNX. “They started arguing back and forth, I don’t know what they were arguing about, but the guy was adjusting his pants and then the security guard shot him.”
“Outta nowhere, we heard like five gunshots, it was like ‘boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,’ and then, everybody started running from over here to over in the parking lot at QT,” another witness told KSAZ.
Phoenix police responded to the scene and found the man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to KNXV.
He was subsequently transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
His identity was not immediately released.
The security guard remained at the scene and it was unknown if he will face any charges, KNXV reported.
Police have not released any information about what led up to the shooting or why the security guard followed the man out of the store.
The unidentified security guard is a third-party contractor employed by Lionheart Security, KPNX reported.
Lionheart Security’s CEO, Bill Herzog, denied rumors the security guard, who is a longtime employee, shot the man in the back or while he was on the ground, according to KPNX.
Herzog noted the incident was captured on security cameras and said the footage proved those allegations were false.
QuikTrip also released a statement in the wake of the shooting, KSAZ reported.
“Our top priority is always the safety of our employees and customers, and we take this responsibility very seriously,” the company said. “We are working closely with local law enforcement and will continue to assist with their ongoing investigation into the incident that took place between a third-party security contractor and an individual at one of our Phoenix locations along the I-17 Corridor.”
“We will continue to take necessary and appropriate measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, customers, and communities we serve,” QuikTrip added.
