Beech Grove Wal-Mart shoplifting suspect dies of self-inflicted gunshot

Update: Beech Grove police said Monday that 42-year-old Gillace Monroe Samples died over the weekend from his self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Monroe, suspected of shoplifting, had been stopped Thursday by Wal-Mart workers, including an off-duty deputy. Monroe pulled a gun and ran out of the store. He was found shot in the restroom of a nearby restaurant.

Earlier:

When a man shot himself following an incident at Wal-Mart in Beech Grove, it was the last straw for that town's mayor. He's declared the business a public nuisance.

On Thursday morning, 42-year-old Gillace Monroe Samples tried to steal from the store, police said. After being caught by security, Samples waved his gun at employees before running to a nearby restaurant and shooting himself in the head as police closed in.

He remained in critical condition at Eskenazi Hospital as of Friday afternoon.

The shooting is the latest in a string of high-profile incidents that have been connected to the troubled Wal-Mart store over the last two months, joining a brawl between two women in the store's shampoo aisle and a separate act of shoplifting that ended with a crash that killed a 63-year-old woman.

As a public nuisance, Wal-Mart can be assessed fines when officers are needed there.

To Beech Grove Mayor Dennis Buckley, it's one of the only remaining options.

"We're better than that, our community is better than that and I don't want to get a phone call every day saying that somebody pulled a gun at Wal-Mart and has done something out of line," Buckley said.

Police said Thursday's incident began around 11 a.m. Samples and another suspect, 42-year-old Johnny Maxey, were caught shoplifting at Wal-Mart, located in a shopping center in the 4600 block of South Emerson Avenue.

Two Wal-Mart employees — one an off-duty Marion County Sheriff's Department deputy working as a security guard and another assisting him — escorted the suspects to the store's loss prevention office.

That's when Samples pulled out a handgun before fleeing the store, police said. The deputy, assisted by Beech Grove and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers, chased Samples.

Witnesses helped the officers track down Samples in the restroom of Egg Roll No. 1, a restaurant located just north of Wal-Mart on South Emerson. Officers were moving in to make an arrest when they heard a gunshot, police said.

Samples was wanted for parole violation and battery by means of a deadly weapon, and for being a serious violent felon in possession of a firearm, police said. The battery and gun possession charges are connected to a shooting reported in Indianapolis on July 29.

Like Buckley, Wal-Mart spokesman Brian Nick expressed frustration with the latest confrontation. He also commended Wal-Mart employees and security for keeping other shoppers safe.

"We're thankful that our security measures helped identify a dangerous individual who could have caused harm to others in the community," Nick said.

The aftermath of previous incidents saw police discussing how frequent runs to Wal-Mart have stretched the department's resources. Between February 2014 and mid-June, Beech Grove police made 1,278 runs to the store resulting in 473 arrests.

Officials from both sides met and eventually implemented a restorative justice program at Wal-Mart.

The voluntary program, Nick said, is designed to reduce the number of police runs to the store. It gives Wal-Mart associates the ability to offer some shoplifters a chance to opt into a program that results in a fine instead of being arrested.

It's usually targeted at people during first-time offenses when police aren't necessary, Nick said.

"That is something the store will continue to work on with law enforcement, and something that we've seen success with in other parts of the country," he said.

While he's pleased with the program's early results, Buckley said he's noticed police activity has increased over the last two weeks.

Once the public nuisance designation is finalized, Wal-Mart will be notified and given a 10-day grace period before receiving fines, Buckley said.

Then officers will have the option to issue tickets when they're called to the store. Each ticket could carry a $2,500 penalty and court fees.

In response to the designation, Nick said Wal-Mart officials will work to keep the store peaceful.

Call Star reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack .

HIGH-PROFILE INCIDENTS CONNECTED TO BEECH GROVE WAL-MART: