A Texas woman has been shot and killed by another woman in a PetSmart parking lot after an argument broke out when one of the women refused to say thank you when the other held open a door for her.
Cecilia Simpson, 41, had been shopping with her daughter, 20, when the pair crossed paths with Keona Zachyua Hampton, 22. An argument broke out when Simpson expressed annoyance at Hampton after she held a door open for the 22-year-old, and she didn’t thank her.
Hampton then proceeded to have a public argument with Simpson over the seemingly trivial matter as per Fox4. The mother and daughter tried to escape the situation by getting into their car and driving to PetSmart, but Hampton allegedly followed them into the store and continued to berate the pair, demanding that the mother “come outside,” according to one eyewitness.
Simpson and Hampton were eventually asked to leave the store by employees, after which Simpson and her daughter returned to their vehicle. Hampton supposedly threw a bottle at the car, prompting the mother to return to the argument, resulting in things getting physical. While the daughter stepped away from the fight, Hampton allegedly produced a handgun, pointed it at Cecilia, and shot her three times.
Nurses try to resuscitate Cecilia
An ER nurse, who was at the scene and witnessed the altercation, immediately began performing CPR on Simpson but was unsuccessful in reviving her. Speaking to Fox4, she recounted the traumatic experience.
“The daughter was next to the mom the whole time. It’s hard, you know, because the screaming of a child for her mother is never easy and it’s never going to leave my head… Honestly, if I could just hug that daughter. I just want her to know I did everything I could. Those other people did everything they could.”
Later that same day, Hampton was brought in by Dallas police officers and interviewed. She confirmed that she had argued with Simpson, had entered PetSmart twice, had thrown a bottle at the victim’s vehicle, and had engaged in a fight with her. However, she claims that she only took the gun out to get Simpson away from her, contradicting reports from witnesses.
Hampton has been booked into Dallas County Jail, and so far, bond has not been set. Unfortunately, this tragic outcome could have easily been avoided had cooler heads prevailed. Instead, a woman has lost her life, a daughter has lost her mother, and Hampton may well spend the rest of her time in jail should she be found guilty.
