Now this story has a common, yet underreported twist.   It begins with three women, Shelly Frey, Tisa Andrews and Yolanda Craig,  together with at least two children (discount trainees) shoplifting at a local Wal Mart store. 

Now, this was not their first 10 finger discount rodeo.  Earlier this year,  Ms. Shelly Frey (pictured in purple – yet not at the Willy Wonka parade) plead guilty to stealing shirts and a package of meat from another Walmart and agreed to never enter any WalMart as part of her plea arrangement.

However, the lure of WalMart’s steep unadvertised discounts was too much for Ms. Frey to withstand, and with the allure of holiday shopping all around, she succumbed to the aforementioned free stuff process.  

So off to the WalMarts they head, big empty purses at the ready.   Only this time an off-duty police officer (Po-Po as in cop) named Mr. Campbell was working Part-Time as store security and he carried his service revolver.  It was clear to everyone that the deputy was law enforcement.

“He was clearly marked in uniform as a Harris County deputy. And identified himself as the suspects were leaving the establishment,” [Police Spokesperon – Gilliland].

When Shelly, Tisa, and Yolanda were spotted stuffing their purses Mr. Campbell was notified.  The three amigos bolted out of the store, one whacking Mr. Campbell with her purse as they, made their escape.  Campbell followed.  The three shoppers jumped in a car with at least two kids and attempted to make a getaway.  Somehow Mr. Campbell accidentally shot Ms. Shelly “Free Shirts and Meat” Frey, in the neck, during the escape.  She died at an apartment complex a little while later.

You might at this point be saying: “Hello !!…. Crump, Sharpton, Jackson must be en-route” in this story somewhere right?   Alas, you are mistaken.   Why?Luckily for Mr. Campbell when he was born both his mom and dad were black.

Official STORY – Deputy Louis Campbell (pictured left), a Harris County Sheriff of 26 years, is on three days paid leave after fatally shooting 27-year-old Shelly Frey in the neck as she and two other women and children fled an alleged shoplifting crime scene at a WalMart in Houston.

Frey, a mother of two small children, was with Tisa Andrews and Yolanda Craig when the incident occurred.   The women were confronted by Deputy Campbell for allegedly stealing after security at the store noticed the three women “stuffing items inside their purses.”

According to Campbell, the women ran to a car — that had two small children in it — and mashed the accelerator as he attempted to open the door. In fear of losing his life, he fired one deadly shot into the car, striking Frey in the neck. Harris County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deputy Thomas Gilliland provided further comment about the incident saying:

“I think it knocked him off balance and, in fear of his life and being ran over, he discharged his weapon at that point.” He added: “He confronted the suspects at exit of the store before they left. One female wouldn’t stop, struck the deputy with her purse, ran off.”

Despite the fatal shot, the women fled away from the scene and eventually stopped at an apartment complex where paramedics were called. Frey was pronounced dead at the scene. As expected, Frey’s family is devastated by her untimely death. “Shelly was the perfect mom, perfect friend, perfect daughter,” said her father, Shelton Frey.

Shelton Frey added that his daughter moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina to start a new life, but was financially strained by her two-year-old who has sickle cell anemia. “Why couldn’t you just shoot the tire, shoot the window?” asked Shelly Frey’s mother, Sharon Wilkerson. “Was it that serious? How do I tell these children she’s not coming back?“ She added that even if her daughter had committed a crime, she did not deserve to die and she worries now for her two young grandchildren.

Walmart offered the following statement about the incident: “This is a tragic situation and we recognize this is a difficult time for all parties involved. We’re committed to working with law enforcement and providing any information we have as they determine the facts of the case. Because this is an active investigation, any specific details of the incident should come from law enforcement. We hire off duty officers to provide security to some of our stores. While we have policies in place for our associates to disengage from situations that might put them or others in harm’s way, off-duty officers working at a WM store are authorized to act in accordance with their department’s code of conduct.”

Both Andrews and Craig, the two other women allegedly involved, have been charged with shoplifting.

Earlier this year, Frey pleaded guilty to stealing shirts and a package of meat from another Walmart and agreed to never enter another WalMart as part of her plea arrangement.  (article link)

The sad fact:   If everything had happened exactly as it is described in this story, except Mr. Louis Campbell was white, this would be a national media story running 24/7, with the full compliment of death threats against him, and angry banner clad protestors demanding his arrest.  They would be screaming “Justice for  Shelly” and demanding he be arrested and tried for murder.

Now considering the aforementioned is not taking place, ask yourself why?  And then reconcile the sound of silence inside the echo-chamber containing The Hypocrisy of Racism.