WASHINGTON — The man who was killed in a store in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, on Wednesday had shoplifted from the store, was unarmed and was assaulting a security officer who had confronted him, the police said Thursday.
The Prince George’s County police, who are investigating the shooting, identified the victim as Joseph Dance, 49, of Riverdale. He was found in the Discount Mart on Eastern Avenue, near the D.C. border, with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, the police said. He died later at a hospital.
The police said Thursday that Dance had been shot by a store worker who was a licensed special police officer who had a permit to carry a gun. The police said the worker confronted Dance because he had shoplifted several items, and shot him after Dance punched and assaulted the special officer several times.
Dance was not armed, the police said, and the worker’s badge was visible. He hasn’t been charged.
The police added that the entire incident was captured on store video.
