A woman was fatally shot during an altercation at a Texas shopping center that allegedly began when the victim became upset with the alleged shooter for “not saying thank you” when he opened the door for her, according to court documents.
The shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of a shopping center in southwest Dallas, according to the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by ABC News.
Cecilia Simpson, 44, was shot multiple times, according to Dallas police. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Police said the alleged shooter, Keona Hampton, 22, left the scene before officers arrived. She was located that same day and arrested for murder, police said.
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A witness told homicide detectives that she and Simpson were leaving a store in the mall at the same time as Hampton when Simpson “became upset because the suspect did not thank her for holding the door,” according to the affidavit. The witness will not be named “for security reasons,” according to the affidavit.
Simpson and Hampton “engaged in a verbal dispute,” then Simpson and the witness headed to another store in the mall, according to the affidavit.
Simpson and the witness told store employees that the suspect was following them, according to the affidavit. Hampton soon entered the store and “engaged in a verbal dispute” with the witness, according to the affidavit.
Hampton left, then returned minutes later and allegedly got into a verbal dispute with Simpson before employees asked them to leave the store, according to the affidavit.
The altercation continued in the parking lot, where, according to the affidavit, Hampton threw a bottle at Simpson’s vehicle as she and the witness got into it. Simpson approached Hampton and “continued to engage in a verbal dispute that escalated into a physical altercation,” according to the affidavit.
The witness punched Hampton several times while yelling to leave Simpson alone, and then walked away, according to the affidavit. At that point, Hampton is accused of pulling out a gun and shooting Simpson three times, according to the affidavit.
Detectives obtained cellphone footage that captured the physical altercation between Simpson and Hampton, according to the affidavit.
“Several gunshots were heard as the person recording the video turned his phone,” and Hampton was allegedly seen “walking away quickly” with a black and silver handgun in his hands as Simpson lay on the ground, according to the affidavit.
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Surveillance footage allegedly showed Hampton fleeing the scene in a vehicle that police later located in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Dallas, according to the affidavit. Hampton was observed on the balcony of an apartment wearing pants similar to those seen in surveillance footage, according to the affidavit. She was arrested Tuesday night during a traffic stop on her vehicle, according to the affidavit.
After waiving his Miranda rights, Hampton allegedly admitted to police that he shot Simpson after getting into a fight with her and the witness. Hampton allegedly said she pulled out her gun and shot Simpson, “claiming she was just trying to get (Simpson) away from her,” according to the affidavit.
Hampton is being held without bail in a Dallas County jail, online jail records show. It is unclear if he has an attorney at this time.