Tironie Sterling Identified As Suspect In The Murder Of Thierry Bastien

Suspect  Tironie Sterling – According to authorities, a Florida Walmart employee who was working off-duty was accused with murder after reportedly killing a customer in front of his family while bravely attempting to defend a female shop employee during a dispute.

Tironie Sterling, 22, was detained on Tuesday afternoon in connection with the shooting at a Walmart in a Fort Lauderdale suburb, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators claim that Sterling went to the Lauderdale Lakes store at 2 p.m. to meet with a female coworker while not on the clock.

The two got into a verbal argument that escalated into a physical brawl in the store’s frozen food section. Sterling is accused of dropping a gun and attempting to take the woman’s phone from her hands. The woman rebuffed Sterling’s request for access to her text messages, the arrest report claims. The woman was then allegedly thrown into the shelves by Sterling. The woman reportedly asked for help, but none of her coworkers gave a response.

A Florida Walmart clerk named Tironie Sterling has been accused with murder.
A male client, identified by family members as 41-year-old Thierry Bastien, fought with Sterling after rushing in to help when he noticed that the woman was being attacked and that no one was there to protect her. The good Samaritan was allegedly shot many times by Sterling during the altercation, hitting him in the chest, back, and lower limbs.

Ten spent 9mm shell casings were later found there, according to NBC6, according to the police. According to family members, Bastien was in the store with his girlfriend, two of his kids, including a baby, and his girlfriend.

Makia Ford, Bastien’s girlfriend, told the news station Local10 that she witnessed her partner being shot six times. I’ll never, ever get over that for the rest of my life, the woman said. She allegedly pleaded Sterling to spare Bastien’s life after he fired the opening shot, according to Ford.

I was holding the infant,” she affirmed. He stood over him and shot him while I pleaded with him not to, even if it was for the baby. Ford praised her partner, saying that he had a “big heart” and “went down as a hero.””It’s not fair to the kids, and it’s certainly not fair to me,” she concluded.

Sterling left the store after the altercation, but was apprehended several hours later at an apartment building a mile south of the Walmart. On Wednesday, he appeared in court; his release was denied.

The 22-year-old is charged with murder while committing a felony and robbery by quick snatching while brandishing a weapon. We’re devastated that the customer who stopped what appeared to be an attack on one of our employees has passed away from his wounds, said Walmart spokesperson Charles Crowson in a statement.

Senseless violence like this is inexcusable. We send his family our sincere condolences during this trying time, and we’ll keep working with our colleagues and supporting them as necessary. According to Crowson, Sterling has been suspended and “steps are being taken to terminate his employment.”