This is one of those stories that makes your stomach drop the moment you start hearing the details, because it shows just how fast an everyday situation can turn into a life-or-death nightmare. A routine shoplifting call at a Walmart in Canton, Ohio nearly became a tragedy when a 21-year-old suspect allegedly tried to shoot a police officer at point-blank range, and the only thing that stopped it was a gun that didn’t fire.
Body camera footage captured the entire terrifying encounter. Police say Shane Newman and 23-year-old Katarina Jeffrey were caught trying to leave the store with items they hadn’t paid for. Walmart security did what they’re trained to do and called police. So far, nothing unusual. This kind of call happens all the time. But once the responding officer arrived and escorted the pair to the store’s loss prevention office, the situation quietly began to spiral.
At first, everything seemed calm. The officer asked Newman the standard question, whether he had anything on him that police should know about. Newman said he only had a cellphone. He even voluntarily handed over a container of illegal drugs, which may have made the officer think the situation was under control.
Jeffrey sat nearby and nervously asked if they were going to jail. The officer responded calmly, saying not unless something crazy happened. Those words turned out to be chillingly close to reality.
After a few tense but quiet moments, Newman slowly reached into his backpack. What happened next is hard to watch. He suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at the officer’s head. Jeffrey immediately began screaming, shouting no over and over as the chaos erupted in a tiny office with nowhere to run. According to police, Newman pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire.
Shoplifter charged with attempted murder after firing gun at cop inside Walmart pic.twitter.com/QvdHl34FZz
— New York Post (@nypost) December 20, 2025
As the officer shouted, a Walmart security guard reacted without hesitation, lunging forward and wrestling the gun away from Newman. The officer drew his own weapon but later said he held fire out of fear that he might hit the employee instead. Together, store employees and police managed to subdue Newman and place him in handcuffs. No shots were fired, but the outcome could have been devastatingly different.
Afterward, the officer explained that he had just discovered Newman had an active warrant and was considered armed and dangerous moments before the attempted shooting. He also admitted he missed the gun during his initial search, an honest but sobering reminder of how unpredictable these encounters can be.
Newman now faces a long list of serious charges, including attempted murder, felonious assault on a peace officer, robbery, drug charges, and weapons violations. Because of his criminal history, he is also charged with having weapons under disability and is being held on a one million dollar bond. Jeffrey was also arrested after police allegedly found ammunition on her and is facing charges related to robbery and weapons possession.
Police leadership called the incident a reminder of the constant danger officers face, while Walmart praised the quick thinking of its asset protection employee. And that may be the biggest takeaway here.
This wasn’t a dramatic movie scene or a planned ambush. It was a stolen item, a small office, and seconds that nearly ended a life. Sometimes the difference between tragedy and survival comes down to a malfunctioning weapon and someone brave enough to act without hesitation.
