Twenty-one-year-old Shane C. L. Newman was nabbed in a Canton, Ohi0 Walmart last fall for attempted shoplifting. What he was trying to steal isn’t clear from news reports, but in the Buckeye State, unless you’re trying to lift something worth more than a thousand dollars, shoplifting — robbery — is generally considered a misdemeanor.
The store’s loss prevention people took Newman into their office and held him, along with 23-year-old Katerina D. Jeffrey, who’s described as his “accomplice” in the failed theft, while police were called.
The video (above)of what happened when a Canton cop arrived has apparently been around for a few months, but just came to our attention.
For a fuller, more complete picture of what happened that includes the stop made by store security and the half-assed pat-down they gave him (“Do you got anything on you I need to know about?…Nothing on you that’s gonna poke me, shoot me?”) that failed to find the gun he was carrying, watch this . . .
Clearly the store security guy missed what looks like a compact-size pistol with red dot and light/laser being carried by a dude who doesn’t look like he weighs more than 150 pounds. That almost resulted in at least one dead cop and possibly more fatalities in that little office.
From watching the full video, it sounds like an improperly seated magazine is what may have kept the gun from firing when Newman first drew and pulled the trigger while pointing the gun at the cop’s head. The quick action of one of the store security dude prevented a second attempt as Newman racked the slide.
Newman probably wasn’t worried about a misdemeanor theft charge as he sat there waiting for the cop to arrive. He was probably thinking about how much more jail time he’d do for being found in possession of drugs and a firearm after an earlier felony drug conviction (among others).
If you watched the longer video, you heard him repeatedly tell the arresting officer, “Just shoot me” as he was laying cuffed on the floor.
This wasn’t Newman’s first criminal rodeo. According to WKYC News . . .
In August 2023, Newman was sentenced to four to six years in prison on drug charges, but court records show he served just 80 days. While awaiting sentencing in that case, he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail, but served only nine days.
In January 2025, while on probation, Newman was charged with giving false information to a police officer. He pleaded no contest and served three days in jail.
For the Walmart kerfuffle, this model citizen was charged with attempted murder, felonious assault, robbery, prohibited possession of a firearm, illegally carrying concealed, possession of a controlled substance, aggravated possession of a controlled substance and “obstructing official business.”
He pleaded not guilty to all of that in February, but in March, he changed his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. But you know what’s really crazy? The fact that this oxygen thief only served a total of 92 days for his previous drug, domestic violence and false information convictions.