Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Scenes From Black Friday: Gunshots, Pepper Spray

... and some shopping, too

By the Associated Press

Posted Nov 25, 2011 6:54 AM CST | Updated Nov 25, 2011 10:16 AM CST

(AP) – The American holiday shopping season has begun in earnest. Early signs point to bigger crowds than last year, but the violence keeps mounting on Black Friday (especially at Walmarts):

  • The lowlight so far is probably this nasty pepper-spray incident at a Los Angeles Walmart.
  • In Northern California, a shopper got shot when he resisted a pair of armed robbers outside a Walmart store in San Leandro. He is in stable condition, and the shooter is at large.
  • In Fayetteville, NC, gunfire erupted at Cross Creek Mall, and police say they're looking for two suspects. No injuries were reported.
  • Police say two women have been injured and a man charged after a fight broke out at a Walmart near Syracuse.
  • In central Florida, a man is behind bars after a fight broke out at a jewelry counter in Walmart in Kissimmee.
  • A Phoenix television station reported witness accounts that police slammed a grandfather in a Walmart in Buckeye, Ariz., to the ground after he allegedly put a game in his waistband so that he could lift his grandson out of the crowd.

A crowd of shoppers waits to get into a Target store in Lisbon, Conn.
A crowd of shoppers waits to get into a Target store in Lisbon, Conn.   (AP Photo/The Day, Sean D. Elliot)
Jasmine Rogers shops in a Kmart in Chicago.
Jasmine Rogers shops in a Kmart in Chicago.   (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Black Friday shoppers await the midnight opening of a Best Buy in Emeryville, Calif.
Black Friday shoppers await the midnight opening of a Best Buy in Emeryville, Calif.   (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Best Buy general manager Javier Morales leads a team cheer before his store opens in Houma, La.
Best Buy general manager Javier Morales leads a team cheer before his store opens in Houma, La.   (AP Photo, Michael Conti/The Houma Courier)
Shoppers look though a display of movies at a Best Buy in Brentwood, Tenn.
Shoppers look though a display of movies at a Best Buy in Brentwood, Tenn.   (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Shoppers wait in a checkout line at a Best Buy in Brentwood, Tenn.
Shoppers wait in a checkout line at a Best Buy in Brentwood, Tenn.   (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Bargain hunters entering Macy's just after midnight are greeted by Occupy Wall Street protesters.
Bargain hunters entering Macy's just after midnight are greeted by Occupy Wall Street protesters.   (Getty Images)
Shoppers wait in line at a Target store in Roswell, Ga.
Shoppers wait in line at a Target store in Roswell, Ga.   (AP Photo/Rich Addicks)
A bargain hunter carries a toaster oven at Macy's in New York City.
A bargain hunter carries a toaster oven at Macy's in New York City.   (Getty Images)
Customers wait in line at a Kohl's department store in La Habra, Calif.
Customers wait in line at a Kohl's department store in La Habra, Calif.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Sisters Britney, left, and Ashley Martin rest in chairs at the Rejuvination Station at the Crystal Mall in Waterford, Conn.
Sisters Britney, left, and Ashley Martin rest in chairs at the "Rejuvination Station" at the Crystal Mall in Waterford, Conn.   (AP Photo/The Day, Sean D. Elliot)
Customers shop at a Best Buy in San Diego.
Customers shop at a Best Buy in San Diego.   (Getty Images)
A customer pays for his purchases inside the Toys R Us in Times Square in New York. It opened at 9pm on Thursday.
A customer pays for his purchases inside the Toys R Us in Times Square in New York. It opened at 9pm on Thursday.   (AP Photo/Andrew Burton)
A woman takes a break at Dadeland Mall in Miami.
A woman takes a break at Dadeland Mall in Miami.   (AP Photo/ Lynne Sladky)
People shop for shoes at Nine West at Dadeland Mall in Miami.
People shop for shoes at Nine West at Dadeland Mall in Miami.   (AP Photo/ Lynne Sladky)
Shoppers line up for deals at a Target in Bowling Green, Ky.
Shoppers line up for deals at a Target in Bowling Green, Ky.   (AP Photo/Daily News, Joe Imel)
Customers shop for electronics at a Best Buy in San Diego.
Customers shop for electronics at a Best Buy in San Diego.   (Getty Images)
Edgar Hernandez gets a TV at a San Diego Best Buy.
Edgar Hernandez gets a TV at a San Diego Best Buy.   (Getty Images)
Occupy Boston protesters march through Boston's shopping district.
Occupy Boston protesters march through Boston's shopping district.   (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
8%
5%
20%
3%
5%
58%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 9 comments
JamesJones
Nov 26, 2011 9:39 AM CST
What country is this?  Somewhere in the Turd World?  Oh yes, we imported the Turd World!             Welcome to the future of America- cardboard box slums, polluted water and air, and Overpopulation on the order of Calcutta.  Our beautiful future rests with pigs at a trough who never read an entire book in their lives, live on fast food, Oprah/Court TV and will maim and kill for $2 Waffle makers. Buckle your seatbelt and lock the door if you have one- they're REPRODUCING like rabbits!
HappyHabenero
Nov 26, 2011 3:51 AM CST
sounds like a typical "Occupy" ...nothing to see here folks move along
ar2997
Nov 25, 2011 12:32 PM CST
I wake up now to see all these idiots. ha ha ha... 

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

More Newser Stories

Let's End Black Friday Craze With 6-6-6 Plan

Forget Black Midnight: Now It's Black Thursday

Target Worker Fights 'Black Midnight' Hours

Stores Turn Black Friday Into Black Midnight

Must We Shop on Thanksgiving?


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment