Wal-Mart Employee Killed on Black Friday 2008

In a previous post, "Why This Blogger Will Not Be Shopping on Black Friday" I decried the commercialization of the Christmas holiday especially as well as the collective selfishness and idiocy of fellow Americans who seem to almost literally go crazy on Black Friday every year while rushing to bargain hunt at retailers around the country. Well, I could say "I told you so," but that would seem to pat myself on the back--something that this blogger is not averse to doing. Anyway, I told you so.

On Black Friday, a Long Island, New York Wal-Mart store opened it's doors early in the Black Friday retailer tradition. Over 2,000 waiting shoppers outside stormed the door upon it's being opened by employee Jdimytai Damour. Amazingly, it was reported that some shoppers became irate when told that the store was closing following the trampling death of the Wal-Mart employee. Frankly I hope law enforcement scours the surveillance video tapes and succesfully prosecutes these killers. I see no difference between these low-lifes and any other criminal who negligently or purposely takes away innocent life. The Canadian news website, CTV.ca provided more details on the savages who trampled and destroyed the front door and nearly trampled other employees who were struggling to rescue their co-worker.

Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify who trampled to death a Wal-Mart worker after a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down.

Criminal charges were possible, but identifying individual shoppers in Friday's video may prove difficult, said Detective Lt. Michael Fleming, a Nassau County police spokesman.

Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was 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. The store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors before its 5 a.m. opening at a mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the employee, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour, 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," Fleming said. He described the scene as "utter chaos," and said the store didn't have enough security.

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store.

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

There were competing tales of stupidity and foolishness on this day such as the brief of two California men who pulled out guns and killed each other at a Toys-R-Us.