NEW YORK - A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday when "out-of-control" shoppers desperate for bargains broke down the doors at a 5 a.m. sale. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers shouted angrily and kept shopping when store officials said they were closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store. When told to leave, they complained that they had been in line since Thursday morning.

Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the store doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour of Queens, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming. He described the scene as "utter chaos."

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said.

Items on sale at the store included a Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $798, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.

Damour, 34, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone.

Police said criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Dan Fogleman, a company spokesman. "At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."

Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages."

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping."

This is unconscionable.
Walmart officials said : "The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Dan Fogleman, a company spokesman. "At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."

What occurred?? I will tell you, Dan Fogelman, what occurred!
Walmart's top priority is not safety. It is money! It is the year end bonus! Cashing in on Christmas during a depression to make your number. That is what happened. Walmart planned for this! They crafted a 5 am sale with ridiculously low prices, and did so intently to lure consumers, and with complete disregard for safety. If the crowd had been waiting since Thursday night, and the safety and security of the customers and associates is their top priority, how is it that the man was trampled to his death, and the door left crumpled like an accordion? That they even said they were reviewing surveillance tapes ( ostensibly to find fault with someone else) makes me sick to my stomach. Walmart needs to stand up and take responsibility for creating this savage beast.

Thank you, MG, for posting my thoughts exactly.

I am appalled at this whole fiasco. This poor man's family - having to deal with the death of their loved one - merry christmas, indeed!

I am originally from Long Island, though not the Valley Stream area... and I know not all LIers are like this (many are more like Arnie and Pat - and this could have happened anywhere) but that these people thought nothing of trying to continue to shop in the face of the death of the man who was apparently simply opening the doors... this makes me mad, both at the people, and at the store (and it's not just Wal-Mart that opened early today with ridiculously low prices - and probably insufficient stock of the sale items).

Black Friday is truly black today. I'm mourning for Mr. Damour... and for the spirit that this season is SUPPOSED to be about.

"Here you go dear, Merry Christmas. I had to kill to get this for you"

Sick bastards.

I know what you guys mean...the need for electronics is causing uncontrollable greed.

Walmart is pathetic, but heck isn't that what's wrong with this country and many of us, who want what we want at the lowest price, even if it was made by some dude in China who makes 5 cents a day, or worse is a slave, a political prisoner, or if you have to crush a guy (who did not look very small on TV) Is'nt this all part of why we are in the economic mess we are in (greed). It makes me recall the Dylan song Union Sundown. The big picture seems to be gross commercialization of Christmas. if the "birthday boy" is looking down, most disappointed !

This is so sad. I would've loved to have gone to Walmart for the $29 mp3 player that plays video (i need one for putting Youtube videos on & can't afford to pay alot for one) but I knew it'd be a madhouse & I needed to get to Ollie's discount store to get the $4.99 mp3 players. Folks were well behaved in Ollie's & the mp3 players were in stock. Walmart is always a zoo on Black Friday & the customers are greedy. Except last yr when I went they were much more well behaved. Some yrs ago Mike & I went to Wally World with my friends Debbie & Carl for the sales. Carl came & told me after we'd been there awhile, you gotta come see this people are beating the crap outta each other over tv sets. We went with him to see & sho nuff there they were some stupid people beating the crap outta each other over some dumb $79 or so $ tv sets. No one was doing a thing about it. Everyone is just looking like what in the world. The cops were called in. Just dumb of those folks over those tv's. I was in Wally World the day after Christmas a few yrs back & when they opened the doors there was such a mad crush of people that a clerk got trampled. I was in the back of the crowds waiting & had no idea what happened until later. I just saw this big swarm & waited until the swarm was over cuz I didn't want to get crushed in it. Prayers just said for this mans family. It is so sad. People are supposed to be nice this time of yr. And yr round too...

Wal Mart Stampede: Where's Woody Guthrie?


http://www.opednews.com/articles/Wal-Ma ... 9-190.html

A couple of excerpts:

Condolences to the family of Jdimytai Damour. It is very sad that he was trampled while trying to make a living as a worker at a Wal-Mart store.

Now, what can we learn from this? And, who is to blame?If we were to turn to philosophers or folk musicians, we might get the proper answer. An artist like Woody Guthrie might be inclined to point out that the situation was more of the usual games between the rich and the poor. The rich Wal Mart owners set the stage for the working class bargain hunters to trample the working class temporary worker. And, now, some in the corporate media are willing to side with the corporation, of course.
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It is very clear from the story, and the obvious facts, that Wal-Mart is at least equally, but perhaps more to blame than the shoppers. Who profited from the chaos being created? --the shoppers who believed they were getting a discount on goods which are already marked up for retail? or, the company who would make a profit, nonetheless from every customer they could get to the door, the ones who got the sale, and even the ones who would feel the need to buy something else when the sale item got sold out? (What is the term in retail? Bait and switch?

I'd rather find what I need on Craig's List than to ever go through that to save a few bucks.

My IL's went to WM @ 4am. No parking. Sat down the road until 5am. Then had to park at the store next door and walk walk walk.
My Mother in law will hardly walk around the house, but HAD to go to this sale to get a 6 or 7 foot pre-lite tree for $24.

Not worth dying for ya know? This man's family will never want to see another holiday.

wasn't this on an I Love Lucy episode but without the ultimate tragedy.
it is an American tradition (don't ask me I sleep in)

Walmart is to blame and they should have had it properly secured and organized. Done! But that does not excuse anyone for their outrageous behavior, there is a level of self organization and restraint that should be a norm in society but just drive down any major highway in a heavily populated area in any part of the world today and you will learn that restraint and self organization and courtesy are really just a fantasy...like the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and God!

My front half is a librarian. She drives a Bookmobile (full-sized school bus with about 6000 books on it) around to places where people, mostly children and the elderly, have little or no access to books. Everybody loves her and her rolling library, but the powers that be in our area almost had her shut down a while back because she wouldn't put the bible in the non-fiction section. Our local governments withheld funding for this valuable service until that particular book was placed next to books like "The Constitution of the United States" and "Trees of Southern Forests"!!!