A 21-year-old Walmart employee was shot to death while stocking shelves at an Indiana store, and chilling new court documents reveal that the young woman appeared to briefly catch fire during the attack as she desperately tried to escape the gunfire.
Dakota Norwood, of Chicago, was working her morning shift at a Walmart in Hammond, Indiana, on Monday, November 2, when a man she had reportedly been dating confronted her in an aisle shortly before 9 a.m.
The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Dorian Kevon Robertson of Joliet, Illinois, has since been charged with murder after surveillance footage allegedly captured the confrontation escalating into a physical struggle and a fatal shooting.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Robertson arrived at the store around 8:40 a.m. and approached Norwood as she stocked merchandise on the shelves.
Investigators say he repeatedly followed her through the aisle while she continued working, apparently attempting to ignore him.
For several minutes, the encounter appeared to consist of an increasingly tense conversation. But the situation suddenly escalated when Robertson allegedly pushed a stocking cart away from Norwood and grabbed her as she attempted to break free.
The two began struggling, with both eventually falling to the floor. During the confrontation, a handgun reportedly slipped from Robertson’s possession.
Surveillance footage described in the affidavit shows Norwood fighting back before another Walmart employee intervened and separated them.
But prosecutors allege Robertson then retrieved the fallen weapon and opened fire.
Investigators say he repeatedly shot Norwood while she was on the floor, even as she attempted to move away from the gunfire.
In one particularly disturbing detail, court documents describe what appeared to be flames briefly erupting from the front of Norwood’s upper body during the shooting.
According to the affidavit, the young woman attempted to stand before collapsing again, at which point the flames appeared to go out.
Authorities have not publicly explained what caused the apparent fire or whether it contributed to her death.
The violence ended with Norwood lying critically wounded in the store aisle.
Rather than fleeing the building, Robertson allegedly walked several aisles away, placed his firearm on the floor and waited for police to arrive.
Hammond police were alerted around 9:09 a.m. by an off-duty officer working security at the Walmart. Robertson was taken into custody at the scene.
Despite the presence of other employees and shoppers, no additional injuries were reported.
Norwood was pronounced dead at the store. An autopsy conducted by the Lake County Coroner’s Office determined that she died from multiple gunshot wounds, and her death was ruled a homicide.
As investigators began piecing together what happened, they uncovered a personal connection between Norwood and the accused gunman.
Hammond Police Capt. Steve Kellogg confirmed that the two knew each other and had been involved in a relationship.
Robertson reportedly told investigators that he and Norwood had been dating on and off for several months. He claimed he had gone to her workplace to discuss comments she had recently made to him, although he declined to explain what those comments involved.
According to court records, Robertson also acknowledged that Norwood initially ignored him and claimed the physical confrontation began after he pushed her stocking cart.
He reportedly told investigators that he struck his head during the struggle and that his memory of what happened afterward was unclear.
Police have not established a motive for the shooting, and authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the couple’s relationship.
The case has devastated Norwood’s family and shaken employees at the Hammond Walmart, where an ordinary Monday morning turned into a deadly crime scene.
In a statement, a Walmart spokesperson expressed heartbreak over the killing and said the company was cooperating with investigators.
“We’re heartbroken by what’s happened at our Hammond, IN store,” the company said.
Walmart also announced that mental health resources were being made available to employees affected by the shooting.
Robertson was formally charged with murder and made his initial court appearance Wednesday, November 4. He remains in custody at the Lake County Jail as the criminal case proceeds.
The newly released surveillance details have added another disturbing dimension to the killing, revealing how an encounter that began with a conversation inside a store escalated into deadly violence within minutes.
For Norwood’s loved ones, the tragedy has left an unimaginable loss. The young woman went to work that morning expecting to complete an ordinary shift, but never made it home.
