Man who shot woman to death inside Ocala Walmart in custody, police say

Officials say woman screamed for help after argument

OCALA, Fla. – Officials from the Ocala Police Department said a man accused of shooting a woman to death inside an Ocala Walmart is in custody.

Police said they found the man at his home, just a few blocks away from the Walmart.

"When we arrived, we heard a gunshot, he was inside the residence with a self inflicted gunshot wound," Ocala Police Public Information Officer Meghan Shay said.​

Police said the suspect, identified as David Johnson, 54, fled by bicycle after shooting the woman, identified as Carli Cronin, 30, in the garden center of the Walmart at 4980 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

The shooting escalated from an argument between the two that led to Cronin screaming for help, according to authorities.

Cronin was pronounced dead at Ocala Regional Medical Center, according to Ocala Fire Rescue.

Credit: Liv Johnson

Police said Johnson, who was taken into custody, had a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital.

Johnson is not expected to survive, police said.

Liv Johnson was there as police surrounded the man's home.

"It's just sad we have to think about these kinds of things," she said. "It was really intense but it was good they got him."

One person who was injured while individuals tried to evacuate the area when the active-shooter incident began was taken to a hospital, Fire Rescue officials said. Two other people who were distressed were also treated. The three people did not suffer gunshot wounds in the incident.

Ocala police said this is the 12th domestic violence homicide in the county this year.

"This is a very serious issue we're facing in our community," Shay said. "We need people who are in relationships that may be violent, verbally, or physically, to know they can come to us."

Stay with News 6/ClickOrlando.com for updates.


About the Authors:

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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