MACON, Ga. — The family of a man shot and killed at the Harrison Road Walmart in west Macon last year says the store and its parking lot are not safe.
Ronnie Albea, 41, was shot and killed last August after what Bibb County Sheriff's deputies call an attempted carjacking. Now, Albea's family is suing Walmart, arguing the store knew it attracted crime, and should have provided better safety measures for its shoppers.
The family's lawyers, Katherine McArthur and Jessica Edmonds, say the focus of the lawsuit is to show the Walmart and parking lot isn't safe. One neighboring business says that perception hurts their business.
"We have a little problem," said Taha Allahbi, who owns the NYC Style Deli next door.
The 'little problem' he's talking about is crime at the Walmart.
"We need to be safe, and we need our customers to be safe," he said.
Allahbi says some customers at his deli and neighboring smoke shop don't feel safe.
"Late in the night, I have to walk the customers to the parking lot because they're scared to be here," Allahbi said.
He says it goes back to one night: August 5, 2022.
"Ronnie Albea and his fiancée, Misty Cox, had gone to the store and purchased some items," Edmonds said. "They were exiting the store, and their car was parked relatively close to the front."
Edmonds and McArthur say that didn't stop someone from trying to carjack the couple. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office believes that person is 18-year-old Elijiah Dewayne Gray.
"Held at gunpoint, and Mr. Albea was subsequently shot and killed," Edmonds said.
Albea's family is suing the company, arguing the store didn't do enough to keep people safe. The family's lawyers say Walmart knew the parking lot was a hot spot for crime, and should have had better security.
"Big history of violent crime in the neighborhood. Just at the Walmart, the calls to law enforcement the last two years have shown more than 30 incidents of violent crime occurring," McArthur said.
They say the police are called out nearly every day. It's troubling to some, but the response is welcome to Allahbi.
"We see the police in Walmart since that day. They're in there all the time," he said.
Allahbi says the added security presence has brought some business back, but it's nowhere close to what it was before August.
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office declined to comment because of the ongoing lawsuit.
Walmart sent 13WMAZ a statement:
“Our condolences go out to Mr. Albea’s family and friends for their loss. The safety and security of our customers and associates is always a top priority, and we have a process in place to assess store security. We do not share our security measures publicly, because it could make them less effective. We will continue our long-standing practice of regularly evaluating our staffing, training, procedures, and technology, which are designed to provide a safe working and shopping experience.”