Family mourns 81-year-old veteran shot, killed while leaving Walmart on mobility scooter

ATLANTA (ANF/Gray News) - The family of an 81-year-old Georgia man is mourning after he was shot and killed while leaving Walmart. Police say one teenager has been arrested and charged with his murder while another suspect is still on the run.

James McDaniel, 81, was using a mobility scooter Wednesday night as he left a Walmart in Gainesville when he was shot and killed, according to Gainesville Police.

Police say the shooting stemmed from a fight inside Walmart that spilled into the parking lot. Two teenagers allegedly opened fire on a group of men, hitting McDaniel on the other end of the parking lot.

Police say McDaniel was an innocent bystander who was not involved in the fight.

Police arrested 18-year-old Kamari Nehemiah Tilmuth on Sunday morning. He is charged with felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Erron Lamar Dorsey, 17, is wanted in connection with the shooting and remains at large, police say. He faces the same charges as Tilmuth.

Victim was a great-grandfather and Navy veteran

Days after McDaniel’s death, his family is still in shock. The 81-year-old victim was a great-grandfather, Navy veteran and former postal employee.

“My dad was just kind of a fun, loving guy,” said his son, Ted McDaniel. “We always knew he loved us.”

Gloria McDaniel, the victim’s wife of nearly 60 years, is mourning, but even now, she says she has sympathy for the parents of whoever pulled the trigger.

“I just feel like they’ve ruined their lives, too,” she said. “And they did something that was wrong, very, very wrong, and they need to be punished.”

“The consequences of their actions took my father’s life,” Ted McDaniel said. “That’s a really hard pill to swallow. He’ll always be a part of my heart, even though he was taken from us.”

An online fundraiser has been set up to help the family.