A 41-year-old woman was shot to death Tuesday outside a Dallas shopping center after an argument over the words “thank you,” police said.
Officers responded around 1:00 p.m. to the 2500 block of West Wheatland Road, where they found a woman with multiple gunshot wounds.
Dallas Fire-Rescue transported her to Methodist Central Hospital, where she later died.
The victim was identified as Cecilia Simpson, according to the Dallas Police Department.
The suspect, Keona Hampton, 22, fled the scene before officers arrived but was arrested later that evening.
She is charged with murder and remains in the Dallas County Jail.
Investigators said the confrontation began after Simpson held the door open for Hampton while leaving a Five Below store and became upset when Hampton didn’t say “thank you,” according to WFAA.
The disagreement carried into a nearby PetSmart, where Simpson told employees Hampton was following her.
The argument escalated, and staff asked both women to leave, CBS News reported.
In the parking lot, Hampton allegedly threw a drink bottle at Simpson’s car. Simpson approached her, and the two began fighting.
A witness told detectives that Simpson struck Hampton several times while telling her to leave. Hampton then pulled a handgun and fired three times, striking Simpson, according to police.
Cell phone video reviewed by investigators captured the sound of gunfire as Hampton walked away holding a handgun, WFAA reported.
Police said Hampton fled and that surveillance video later showed her wearing the same clothes seen in the store footage.
Officers tracked Hampton down around 7:45 p.m. that evening and took her into custody without incident.
During an interview, Hampton reportedly admitted she argued with Simpson and threw a drink before pulling the gun.
She told detectives she was “just trying to get [Simpson] away from her.”
Stores in the shopping center where the shooting occurred closed for the evening.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
