NEW YORK (AP) -- A police spokesman in Nassau County, New York, faults inadequate security for the death of a Wal-Mart worker during a shopper stampede.
The temporary employee was bowled over as he opened the front door of the store in Valley Stream at 5 a.m. Friday. An estimated 2,000 people had crowded outside, some claiming they had been waiting since Thanksgiving morning, hoping to scarf up holiday specials like $28 vacuum cleaners and $798 plasma TVs.
Other Wal-Mart workers were caught in the crunch trying to reach the fallen man. At least four people, including a woman eight-months pregnant, were taken to hospitals.
One witness says the shoppers were acting like savages. They even got angry when told the store was closing. Some shouted about the long wait and kept shopping.
Arkansas-based Wal-Mart has issued a statement saying it had tried to prepare for the shopping surge by adding staffers and security workers, putting up barricades and consulting with police. A spokesman adds, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those impacted."
