A teenager from North Carolina, who was on the run after allegedly shooting and killing a woman inside a Walmart, was finally caught while trying to board a Greyhound bus in Chicago. The dramatic arrest happened earlier this week thanks to teamwork among multiple law enforcement agencies.
Seventeen-year-old Ezekiel Burden, from Lumberton, North Carolina, was found at a Greyhound Bus Station in Chicago on Tuesday. His capture was made possible through the combined efforts of the Lumberton Police Department, Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Service, and Chicago Police Department. The authorities were tipped off about his location by an informant, according to the NCSBI.
Burden was wanted in connection with the deadly shooting of 42-year-old Brandy Nicole Olson at the Walmart Supercenter in Lumberton on December 20. Olson was waiting in line at the Woodforest Bank located inside the store when she was shot. Burden now faces charges that include first-degree murder and firing a gun inside a building to incite fear. His friend, 18-year-old Brian Campbell, has also been charged as an accessory after the fact. Campbell reportedly turned himself in to the police just a few days after the shooting, on December 23.
Authorities believe Burden was targeting two other individuals he knew, who were also in line at the bank. During the chaos, Olson, who was trying to escape, was tragically caught in the crossfire. Witnesses at the scene described the terrifying moments when gunfire erupted near the front of the store. At least six gunshots were heard, as captured in a cellphone video shared on social media.
One shopper, Steven Rumsey, told the media that Olson seemed to have run into the line of fire while trying to get away. “When he started shooting, the lady ran in front of him,” he said.
Another witness, Kayleann Brooke, shared a video on social media, calling the incident “the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Burden was arrested in Chicago and is currently in jail, waiting to be sent back to North Carolina to face charges. Photos from the NCSBI showed the moment he was taken into custody at the bus station, marking the end of a multi-state manhunt.
This shocking case has left the community in Lumberton shaken, as the investigation continues into what led to the tragic events at the Walmart Supercenter.
