A small act of courtesy turned deadly this week in Dallas after a woman was shot and killed outside a PetSmart store following an argument that reportedly began when another shopper failed to say “thank you.”
According to an arrest affidavit released by the Dallas Police Department, the shooting occurred around 1:00 pm Tuesday in the 3500 block of West Wheatland Road in the Southeast Oak Cliff area.
The victim, 41-year-old Cecilia Simpson, was shot multiple times and later died at a nearby hospital, FOX 4 reports.
Argument began over lack of gratitude
Police say the confrontation began just moments earlier at a neighboring Five Below store, where Simpson and her 20-year-old daughter were shopping.
As the pair exited the store, Simpson reportedly held the door open for 22-year-old Keona Zachyua Hampton.
When Hampton didn’t thank her, Simpson allegedly became upset, sparking a verbal argument between the two women.
Simpson and her daughter then left and drove to the PetSmart in the same shopping center, but Hampton followed them there, according to the affidavit.
Inside the PetSmart, Simpson and her daughter told employees they were being followed.
Hampton soon entered and resumed the argument with Simpson’s daughter before leaving, only to return several minutes later.
Employees eventually asked both parties to leave the store, the New York Post details.
Fight escalates into shooting
Once outside, the confrontation quickly escalated.
Police say Hampton threw a drink bottle at Simpson’s car as the mother and daughter tried to leave.
Simpson got out of the vehicle and confronted Hampton again, leading to a physical fight.
According to Simpson’s daughter, her mother struck Hampton several times while yelling at her to “leave her alone.”
Moments later, Hampton allegedly pulled out a black and silver handgun and fired three shots at Simpson, striking her multiple times before fleeing the scene in a black Ford Five Hundred.
Video evidence and arrest
Surveillance footage and cellphone video captured the shooting and the suspect’s getaway. Officers tracked Hampton to an apartment where she was later seen wearing the same clothes as in the footage.
That evening, around 7:45 pm, Dallas police stopped the Ford Five Hundred and arrested Hampton.
During questioning, she admitted to arguing with Simpson and firing her weapon but claimed she acted in self-defense, telling investigators she “just wanted Simpson to get away from her.”
Hampton is now being held in the Dallas County Jail, where she faces a murder charge.
Her bond has not yet been set.
Witness tried to save victim’s life
A 27-year-old ER nurse who witnessed the shooting described the terrifying moments outside the PetSmart. “The shooter was saying, ‘Come outside, let’s fight,’ and the mother and daughter were just trying to get in their car,” she told FOX 4.
“Then she pulled out her gun and shot her.”
The nurse rushed to help Simpson, performing CPR as the victim’s daughter screamed for her mother. “It’s never easy hearing a child scream for her mom,” she said. “I just want her to know we did everything we could.”