Woman Shot and Killed After Store Clerk Calls Friend To Confront Her For Shoplifting

A Chicago family is demanding answers after a mother of five was shot and killed at a local Walgreens on Monday.

When Sircie Varnado was suspected of shoplifting, a store clerk decided to call a friend for help instead of authorities.

According to CBS Chicago, the friend showed up to the store with a gun and stepped in while the clerk confronted the woman. The gunman reportedly wrestled with the 46-year-old, shot her in the head, and fled the scene.

Varnado was then taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 

Witnesses say that the man claimed to be an employee of the Chicago Police Department during the incident, but authorities said that they can verify that the man is not an officer. In fact, police believe that the man is actually an unlicensed security guard with no affiliation to Walgreens. 

“She didn’t deserve to be executed like that,” Varnado’s sister, April Reed told CBS. “He could’ve just held her for the police. He didn’t have to shoot her in the face. She didn’t have a weapon,” she tearfully added.

Apparently, investigators have clear surveillance of the shooter’s face, and vehicle from the store and they have identified a person of interest in connection to the incident. 

A spokesperson for Walgreens released a statement saying that they plan on cooperating with the investigation.

“We are committed to providing a safe environment for our employees, patients, and customers in the communities we serve. We are cooperating with Chicago police in its investigation.”

A Walgreens clerk claimed he suspected a Black woman named Sircie Varnado of shoplifting. So instead of calling the police, he called his friend (another random suspected deputized race soldier). The “friend” came to the store, and SHOT THE BLACK WOMAN IN THE HEAD and she died. pic.twitter.com/PfiOHN4reL

— Tariq Nasheed ?? (@tariqnasheed) June 19, 2019

Retonjah Burdette

Retonjah Burdette is a publicist and published content curator from Atlanta, Georgia. After receiving her Bachelor’s in Public Relations from Georgia Southern University in 2017, Burdette then went on to get field experience with one of the top entertainment PR firms in Atlanta. Since the start of her career, Burdette has worked with a number of actors, authors, entrepreneurs and independent artists. She has secured placements on media outlets such as TV One’s Sister Circle, Good Day Atlanta on FOX, V-103, CBS 46, Kontrol Magazine, KISS 104.1 and Rolling Out to name a few. In addition to her growth in PR, she is currently a writer for Baller Alert, a top platform for news and entertainment. In hopes of bringing the visions of others to life, she launched Girl Avant-Garde in 2019, a creative agency specializing in innovative content, branding and PR in entertainment. Her overall goal is to have autonomy over her creative thought process and to teach branding to new entrepreneurs and others pursuing a career in the public eye.

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