Left inset: Stephen Morrow with his wife (Facebook). Right inset: Timothy Crawford (Sumiton Police Department). Background: The Walmart in Alabama where Stephen Morrow allegedly got into a verbal confrontation with Timothy Crawford, which cops say led to his shooting death (Google Maps).
An Alabama father was gunned down by an angry Walmart shopper who followed him outside and killed the man in front of his wife after he accidentally bumped into a teen with a shopping cart, police and family say.
"Kayla, I'm dying and I love you," victim Stephen Morrow told his wife as he bled out in a parking lot near a Walmart in Sumiton, according to a Facebook post she made. "Every time I close my eyes all I can see is the scene happening," Kayla Morrow said.
Court documents obtained by local ABC affiliate WBMA describe how Timothy Braden Crawford, 18, was shopping at the Walmart when Stephen Morrow accidentally bumped into a teen with his shopping cart, leading to a verbal altercation involving Crawford.
Stephen Morrow called Sumiton Police and he continued to shop with his wife afterward. Investigators say Crawford was not taken into custody and he followed the Morrows outside, according to the court documents.
Stephen Morrow was in a nearby parking lot when Crawford allegedly shot Morrow during another confrontation. Crawford fled in his truck and the vehicle was tracked to his parents' home, where he was arrested after his parents called police so he could turn himself in.
"Following the investigation, an arrest has been made and … Crawford has been charged with murder," the Sumiton Police Department said on Facebook.
Authorities say Crawford tried to claim the shooting was self-defense after Stephen Morrow attempted to run him off the road with his vehicle. Video evidence contradicted the claim, and Crawford allegedly admitted to following Stephen Morrow after the Walmart shopping cart incident.
In court last week, Crawford's defense lawyer said Stephen Morrow broke the passenger-side window of Crawford's truck and tried to get inside. Crawford's parents testified that he has dyslexia and is on the autism spectrum, which has left him lacking the mental maturity of most people his age, WBMA reports. Prosecutors said he was a danger to the community as they outlined the allegations against him.
Crawford was being held on a $250,000 bond in Walker County.