Tri-Cities Walmart shooting suspect says he was stealing to feed his fentanyl addiction

The man accused of opening fire in the middle of a busy Walmart parking lot on Black Friday told a judge Monday he has a fentanyl addiction.

Alexander Richard Yell, 31, of Kennewick, told police he was trading stolen items for fentanyl pills, according to court records.

Kennewick detectives said they recovered hundreds of dollars in sports cards Friday that he stole from a store on Thanksgiving Day. And he’s accused of trying to steal Pokemon trading cards from Walmart.

Yell is being held in the Benton County jail on a 72-hour hold for first-degree robbery and second-degree assault.

He appeared briefly Monday afternoon in Benton County District Court, where his bail was set at $250,000.

Deputy Prosecutor Brittnie Roehm asked for the high amount of bail because Yell is a convicted felon with a history of drug problems and nine outstanding warrants for not showing up for court.

“The state is concerned about the violent nature of this crime — the fact that he was so willing to discharge a firearm at a loss prevention officer in order to escape with merchandise from Walmart,” Roehm told Judge Terry Tanner.

She called him a significant threat to community safety.

Yell, who had a bandage wrapped around his right elbow, tried to argue that he is not a violent person, and he wasn’t aware of the warrants because he isn’t living at the home where court notices are being sent.

“I saw my life flash before my eyes,” he said. “I have two little boys, a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old. I’m one of the sole providers for the household. I have a job,” he said on Monday.

“I know that it may look like I’m violent. I’m not,” he said.

”Please, I beg you to look at me as a person and not someone that’s violent. … I’m not violent your honor,” he said.

But Judge Tanner responded, “Well your actions certainly would seem to differ.”

Walmart shooting

On Friday, Nov. 26, Walmart security guards, also known as loss prevention officers, spotted Yell during the noon hour inside the store taking Pokémon and hiding them, according to Kennewick police. As he headed out the door, three security officers, followed him outside.

They were trying to get his license plate number, when Yell is accused of pulling out a pistol and pointing it at them. One of the security guards, Marthell Baza said he feared for his life, so he pulled out a handgun.

Yell walked out from behind the car and raised the gun at them, said the report.

A security officer said Yell fired his gun and Baza shot back. Casings from two guns were found in the parking lot.

Yell was hit twice and was bleeding from his arm and leg when he climbed into his car and drove to his ex-girlfriend’s home on Fifth Avenue in Kennewick.

She called 911 and he was arrested after surrendering to police. Yell was taken to a local hospital and then booked later that night into the jail.

The same night, Kennewick Detective Joshua Riley served a search warrant at the Fifth Avenue home and found the gun, as well as hundreds of dollars of sports cards stolen during a break-in on Thanksgiving Day at a Gage Boulevard shop.

This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 5:53 PM.