Insets: Murder suspect Tarell McMillian and Officer Michael Horan (Greensboro Police Department/Help a Hero). Background: The Food Lion grocery store where Tarell McMillian allegedly shot Officer Michael Horan (WJZW/YouTube).
An Instacart shopper in North Carolina who was in the middle of a grocery haul for a woman allegedly shot and killed a police officer — gunning him down before the cop had “time to draw” — while inside of a local supermarket, officials say.
“He started doing the shopping,” Tarell McMillian’s customer, Sheila Gonzalez, told CBS affiliate WFMY this week after the Monday shooting in Greensboro. “He was nearly finished.”
McMillian, 34, was compiling Gonzalez’s grocery order when he allegedly opened fire on Greensboro Police Officer Michael Horan inside a Food Lion at 4709 Lawndale Drive. A 911 call came in Monday morning of a “suspicious person, possibly armed” being inside of the supermarket, with McMillian fitting the description.
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“Officer Horan was the first to arrive on the scene and made contact with the individual inside the store,” the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said in a press release Monday night. “After a brief struggle, the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the officer before leaving the scene in a vehicle. The officer did not have time to draw or fire his weapon.”
McMillian, who is charged with first-degree murder, quickly fled from the Food Lion after the shooting and went on the run for several hours, according to SBI officials — leaving Gonzalez to wonder where her groceries were.
“It took a very long time,” she told WFMY of her order. “I wasn’t getting any alerts then all of a sudden it said you’ve been canceled and reassigned to a different shopper.”
At first, Gonzalez didn’t think anything of it.
It wasn’t until she saw a news alert on her phone about the shooting at the same Food Lion where her order was being purchased that she began growing fearful about her order — and safety.
“It was very alarming,” Gonzalez said. “It scared me foremost when you hear about the officer who didn’t have a chance to draw his weapon. Immediately my mind went to if he’s willing to shoot an officer he’s obviously someone who’s dangerous and violent and he was on his way to my home. It scared me because we have children.”
McMillian was later located and arrested in Johnston County by sheriff’s deputies following a pursuit on I-40. He was taken into custody without incident and denied bond.
Fellow cops and friends have set up an online fundraiser for Horan’s family through the website Help a Hero to provide financial support for them in the wake of his death.
“He was an excellent officer,” the description says. “He received a lifesaving award in 2019 for his bravery and quick response when, on a trip to the beach with his family, he put his own life in jeopardy, knowingly entering an active rip current before swimming approximately 60 yards to save the life of a man and his son from drowning, which would have caused an unimaginable tragedy to a family. He had an outstanding reputation inside the Department and the community.”
Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson released a statement after Horan’s death, saying the department was “struggling” with his loss but happy to get McMillian behind bars.
“We’re especially grateful to everyone who worked around the clock to assist in the identification, arrest, and charging of the individual responsible for Officer Horan’s death,” he said. “We also want to thank our community and our law enforcement partners around the state for the support they have offered our department and for Officer Horan’s family during this difficult time.”
Instacart provided a statement to WFMY on Thursday, saying McMillian had been hired as a contract worker after passing a background check. He has been removed as a shopper from the delivery app, the company says.
“We’re heartbroken to learn of the loss of Officer Michael Horan of the Greensboro Police Department,” the Instacart statement said. “This kind of violence is truly incomprehensible, and we’re deeply saddened by this devastating event. Our teams are working with law enforcement and the Food Lion team to assist in any way we can in this investigation.”
