Inset: Larry Keaton Brown (Stokes County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Walmart in King, North Carolina where Brown's girlfriend was fired prior to the alleged shootings (Google Maps).
A 72-year-old man from North Carolina has been arrested after he allegedly shot up the home and car of a local Walmart manager "in retaliation" for his girlfriend being fired from the store.
Larry Keaton Brown was taken into custody this week and charged with multiple felonies, including one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and eight counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied property over the incidents, authorities announced.
According to a news release from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, deputies on the night of Oct. 10 responded to the 1100 block of Pullman Drive in Rural Hall regarding a report of vandalized property. The resident told the emergency dispatcher that multiple shots had been fired into their residence.
Investigators say they soon discovered that the shooting was likely connected to another shooting that took place that same evening at the Walmart where the defendant's girlfriend had recently been fired. There, a store manager's car had been shot multiple times while the vehicle was unoccupied.
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"Working in conjunction with King Police Department (KPD) and utilizing the latest technology in forensics, it was determined that this incident was related to a similar incident at the Walmart in King," the release states. "Investigators with both agencies determined that these incidents were suspected to be in retaliation to the suspect's girlfriend being fired from her employer."
It was not immediately clear how investigators were able to connect the shootings to the firing of Brown's girlfriend.
Brown was subsequently taken into custody during a traffic stop and processed at the Stokes County Jail.
Earlier this month, after authorities said they found explosive devices in his home, Brown was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, High Point, North Carolina, Fox affiliate WGHP reported. Authorities said when they tried to place Brown under arrest during the traffic stop, he attempted to reach for a handgun, but they were able to disarm him.
Brown is currently being held in the Stokes County Detention Center without bond. It was not immediately clear when he was next scheduled to appear in court.
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