A Tennessee woman has filed a lawsuit against Walgreens after she was allegedly shot seven times by an armed employee who suspected her of shoplifting.
Travonsha Ferguson was seven months pregnant when the alleged shooting occurred on April 12, 2023, according to a civil complaint as reported by The Miami Herald. Doctors had to perform an emergency C-section on Ferguson to deliver her son, who was born with a heart defect and “fought for his life for weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit,” according to the complaint.
Nearly a year later, the 25-year-old is suing Walgreens and the employee she says left her with permanent injuries. “Travonsha Ferguson will never fully recover from this shooting and has long-term health issues that she is forced to deal with every day,” her attorney, L. Chris Stewart, said in a statement.
“We intend to hold Walgreens accountable for the egregious actions of their employee who was a team leader at that location. Following someone to the parking lot and shooting them seven times for allegedly shoplifting is outrageous conduct that cannot be tolerated by corporations around the country.”
The employee, Mitarius Boyd, reportedly no longer works at the company. According to The Herald, Walgreens declined to comment about the lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Walgreens employee Mitarius Boyd allegedly followed Ferguson and her friend to the parking lot of the Walgreens store on Gallatin Road in Nashville after he suspected them of shoplifting and “aggressively confronted [Ferguson] and her friend concerning the alleged stolen merchandise while cursing and screaming at them.”
Boyd “never identified himself as an employee,” the complaint alleges. “Boyd continued threatening and aggressively approaching Ms. Ferguson and her friend,” per the complaint. “Once Boyd got near the trunk of their vehicle and continued his aggressive approach, Ms. Ferguson was prompted to spray mace at Boyd in fear of imminent bodily harm to Baby Ferguson and herself.”
He allegedly shot Ferguson seven times, including one shot that struck her near her stomach, according to her attorneys.
Police said Ferguson was dropped off at the hospital by her friend and then transferred by ambulance to Vanderbilt Hospital. She “sustained internal and intestinal injuries and, as a medical necessity, must now wear a colostomy bag to survive,” according to the complaint. Her son is now at “an increased risk of long-term intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
A grand jury declined to indict Boyd for the incident, per WTVF.
