Brawls & fatal shootings mark ‘Black Friday’ across US (VIDEO)

November 25, 2016 at 17:57

At least two people have been killed in shootings at three malls across the US, as ‘Black Friday’ – the biggest shopping day of the year – kicked off after the Thanksgiving holiday. Shoppers all over the country brawled over coveted merchandise.

The day after Thanksgiving signals the start of the Christmas gift shopping season. The name supposedly refers to profits that put retailers’ accounts ‘in the black.’ On the downside, many shoppers wanting early access to popular products sometimes literally fight each other for the privilege – sometimes to the death.

Three suspects have been arrested after a shooting at the Wolfchase Galleria mall in Memphis, Tennessee, police said. Multiple vehicles were hit by gunfire, and one person was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Witnesses told WHBQ-TV that “at least 40 shots were fired.”

#BREAKING: MPD: 1 injured in Wolfchase Mall shooting>>https://t.co/C8KqOncDb2 pic.twitter.com/CZAnfi2YR4
— WMC Action News 5 (@WMCActionNews5) November 25, 2016

A 33-year-old man was shot and killed in a dispute over a parking spot outside a Walmart in Reno, Nevada, on Thursday evening, local police said. He reportedly got into a dispute with another man, and both were armed. Police have identified the people involved, and the investigation is ongoing.

One man was killed and another injured in a shooting at a parking lot outside a Macy’s store in Mays Landing, in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. The deceased was identified as a 20-year-old male from Atlantic City, shot “multiple times.” His brother, 26, is being treated for a gunshot wound in the leg. Police are still searching for a suspect.

In stores across the US, shoppers came to blows over holiday sales, in some cases requiring police intervention.

At a Walmart in Houston, Texas, one man lost his shorts trying to hold on to a $99 children’s car.

Police intervened after brawling shoppers knocked over a product stand at a Walmart in Moline, Illinois.

Here is a video of a run on towels in Bainbridge, Georgia, taken by Nancy Pritchett.

One Twitter user captured a fistfight that broke out at a mall in Modesto, California.
Meanwhile, online shoppers had to deal with checkout problems due to overwhelming traffic, affecting major retailers such as Macy's and Express.

Ugh @Macys website can't keep up w/ #BlackFriday traffic. Crash & burn. Customer svc claims tech team is working problem. 20 min hold time. pic.twitter.com/rFquqJkHBY
— Beth Sherman (@shermanator1111) November 25, 2016