A routine trip to Target turned into a nightmare in Arizona after police say a man was gunned down inside the store in front of stunned shoppers — all over a stolen gun.
The terrifying scene unfolded at a Target in Mesa, where authorities say 21-year-old Dylan Stinson tracked down a man who had allegedly swiped a handgun from the trunk of his car.
According to police, the victim had been riding in Stinson’s car earlier in the night with several other people when the group stopped at a smoke shop in the same shopping complex as the Target.
While Stinson was inside the smoke shop, investigators say the victim allegedly grabbed Stinson’s handgun from the trunk of the car, tucked it into his pants, and walked into Target with two women who had also been in the vehicle.
But Stinson quickly realized something was wrong.
Police say he noticed the group was gone — and so was his gun. He then headed into the nearby Target to look for them.
Inside the store, near the restroom area, Stinson and another man allegedly found the victim with the gun hidden down his pant leg, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by AZ Family.
That is when the situation exploded.
Investigators say Stinson and the other man pulled the victim to the ground, took the gun away from him, and then Stinson allegedly fired a shot into the victim’s torso.
The shooting sent panic through the store as horrified shoppers were caught in the middle of the chaos.
Police were called to the scene, and the wounded man was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Authorities say he has since undergone multiple surgeries and is recovering.
Surveillance video allegedly showed Stinson and the other man running from the Target after the shooting. Police say Stinson could be seen holding the handgun as he fled.
Investigators recovered a single shell casing from the store.
Police later used Flock license plate reader data to identify the vehicle Stinson had been driving, which was registered to his mother. Officers went to the woman’s home and found Stinson there, along with the handgun they believe was used in the shooting.
Stinson was arrested Monday and booked into jail. He is now facing multiple counts of aggravated assault and one count of discharging a firearm within city limits, according to online court records.
He is being held on a $500,000 bond.
What started as an alleged theft between friends ended with gunfire inside one of America’s busiest retail chains — and a man fighting to survive after a shocking confrontation in the aisles of Target.
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