Man arrested after firing gunshot inside Richfield Walmart, police say

RICHFIELD — One man was arrested after officers said he fired a gun inside a Walmart Monday. The shot was seemingly fired by accident, and police learned later that he hit himself in the leg.

According to court documents, Zachary Hampton, 26, discharged the gun in the self-checkout area of the store at approximately 12:45 p.m. Officers arrived at the store after multiple employees and witnesses inside said they heard the shot, but Hampton had already fled.

Witnesses said after they heard the shot, they saw Hampton pause and then drop all items he had been holding and stated “I have to go,” court documents say. Other witnesses who saw him outside said he was waving his gun near the entrance while leaving.

Officers reviewed the store’s video footage showing Hampton walking toward the self-checkout, carrying some items from inside the store. As he walked, he was seen reaching for something concealed in his waistband. He then flinched and bent over before quickly dropping the items and running out.

“As Zachary drops the items you can see a single spent casing fall to the ground next to the items,” court documents state.

The footage also showed several customers near him who were “close enough to be hit depending on the bullet trajectory.” Some of them jumped when they heard the shot, the documents say.

After reviewing the footage, officers discovered Hampton was under a protective order that prevented him from having a weapon or firearm until 2027. He was also on pretrial release and probation, with previous drug-related, impaired driving and domestic violence charges.

Officers located Hampton approximately an hour later at a residence a few miles away where he was taken into custody. Officers then learned he had a single gunshot wound on his right leg just above his knee.

Hampton was taken to Sevier Valley Hospital, where hospital staff took his jeans and subsequently knocked a glass pipe inside them to the ground. Officers later tested the remnants on the pipe; the results came back positive for methamphetamine.

Hampton was not officially charged as of Tuesday.