An argument over not saying “thank you” after a door was held open ended in a fatal shooting at a Dallas shopping center, authorities said.
Police say Keona Hampton, 22, shot and killed 41-year-old Cecila Simpson in a parking lot outside a PetSmart just after 1 p.m. Tuesday when the women got into a fight while leaving a nearby Five Below.
The deadly encounter unfolded after Simpson got upset at Hampton for “not saying thank you” after she held the door for her as they both exited Five Below, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WFAA.
The argument continued in a nearby PetSmart, where Simpson told workers that Hampton was following her. After leaving the store, the women continued fighting in the shopping center’s parking lot.
Cellphone footage taken by a witness captured the dispute taking a violent turn, as several gunshots can be heard ringing out. The affidavit states that after shots were fired, the person recording turned the phone away, but filmed Hampton walking off holding a black and silver handgun.
When authorities arrived at the scene, they discovered Simpson had been shot several times. She was taken to Methodist Central Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Hampton, who fled the scene before police arrived, was arrested after police pulled over her vehicle several hours later. She was wearing the same clothes seen in the surveillance footage taken earlier at the store, according to the affidavit.
She then admitted to police that she had fought with Simpson and an employee earlier that day, leaving and re-entering the store twice before the confrontation heightened.
During their fight, Hampton allegedly threw a drink bottle at Simpson and pulled out a gun after a witness tried to intervene. The witness told police that Simpson struck Hampton several times while yelling at her to leave, according to CBS News.
Hampton told detectives she shot Simpson because she was “just trying to get [Simpson] away from her,” according to the affidavit.
Hampton was arrested and charged with murder. She is being held in the Dallas County Jail, records show.
