Walmart employee killed in alleged attack by man who believed he was being ‘stalked by a demon,’ reports say

(Gray News) – A Walmart employee in Arkansas was killed by a man who allegedly told authorities that he was “being stalked by a demon,” according to multiple reports.

About 10:58 p.m., Conway officers were dispatched to a report of a man stabbing a woman inside the store. Officers arrived and encountered 37-year-old Zeddrick Ross, who was still armed with a knife.

During the encounter, officers gave Ross multiple commands to drop the weapon. But he did not comply and came toward an officer while still armed.

In response, one officer fired one shot, but missed. Another officer then used a taser and Ross was eventually taken into custody.

The victim, Jordanne Drinkwater, 32, died at the scene from her injuries.

During the investigation, Ross allegedly told law enforcement that he had stolen a large knife from Walgreens before the attack and a machete from Walmart for protection “because he said a demon was stalking him,” KTHV reported.

He described the “demon” as a light-skinned Black woman with brown eyes and a weave whom he had only seen at a distance.

While at Walmart, he said he allegedly grabbed the “demon” and began stabbing it in the neck and shoulder in an attempt to kill it. However, after the stabbing, he looked down and realized that the victim on the ground was not the “demon” he had thought he saw.

Authorities said Ross was not employed by Walmart and was not known to Drinkwater and had no known interaction with her before the attack.

Ross is being held without bond on a charge of first-degree murder at the Faulkner County Detention Center.

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