Man Dies After Struggle With Walmart Security
CHICAGO IL July 28 2017 — A man died after being stopped by security at a Hermosa Walmart on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
At 4:32 p.m., officers were called to the store in the 4600 block of West North Avenue for a report of a battery, police said. The officers saw a handcuffed man “experiencing a health issue,” police said, and they called for emergency services.
The man was taken to Norwegian American Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said the man had been using drugs and said the man and another person were stopped at the store after they tried to return stolen merchandise.
On Thursday, the man’s family denied he had been using drugs and denied he was trying to return stolen merchandise.
A relative of the man posted a video of the incident on Facebook. The video appears to show several people holding down the man outside a Walmart, 4650 W. North Ave., while he struggles.
“We take this situation seriously and are looking into the matter,” Walmart said in an emailed statement. The company said it could not comment further since the investigation was open.
The man was identified as Donnell Burns, 23, of the 2700 block of West Harrison Street, in Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office records. Burns was pronounced dead at 5:51 p.m.
Autopsy results for Burns were pending Wednesday afternoon.
Veronica Calhoun, 30, of Broadview, was arrested and charged with retail theft in connection to the incident, police said.
