Police said a mother shopping with her children was injured by bullet and floor-tile fragments.
VALDOSTA, Ga. — A 21-year-old man has been charged after police said his unsecured handgun fired inside a Walmart and injured a woman who was shopping with her young children on June 9.
John Eady was charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct after investigators said the gun discharged while he reached for a cellphone in the same pocket where he was carrying the firearm. The woman, 34, suffered injuries to her ankles that police said were not life-threatening.
The shooting was reported at the Walmart at 3274 Inner Perimeter Road in Valdosta. Police said officers first responded to reports of a shooting and found that no active threat remained inside the store. Investigators later determined that Eady had been carrying a firearm in the front pocket of basketball-style shorts. The gun was not in a holster, police said. His cellphone was also in the same pocket.
When Eady reached into the pocket for the phone, the gun fired into the ground, police said. Fragments from the bullet and broken floor tile struck the woman in both ankles. She was shopping with her small children at the time. Police have not released her name. Officials said she received medical treatment for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan said the case could have ended with far worse injuries. “We are very thankful that no one received more severe injuries, as the victim was shopping with her small children,” Manahan said. Police said the way Eady carried the gun was a gross deviation from the care a reasonable person would use in a similar situation.
Officers obtained an arrest warrant for Eady on June 10, one day after the gun discharged. Police said Eady was told about the warrant and turned himself in at the Valdosta Police Department. He was then taken to the Lowndes County Jail without incident. Court records available through the reports cited by police listed the charge as reckless conduct.
The investigation centered on how the gun was carried and how it fired inside a crowded retail store. Police described the discharge as inadvertent, but said the lack of a holster and the placement of the phone in the same pocket created a dangerous situation. Authorities did not report any other injuries inside the store.
The Walmart remained the focus of the police response after the incident, but officials said shoppers were safe once officers determined there was no continuing threat. The case moved from the initial emergency call to a criminal charge after investigators reviewed what happened and obtained the warrant.
Eady’s case now proceeds through Lowndes County court on the misdemeanor charge. Police have not announced any additional charges. The woman’s name and full medical condition were not released.
Author note: Last updated Sunday, June 28, 2026.