Bond is set at $5M in shooting

A Butler County judge set bond Friday for a man accused of fatally shooting a Walmart shopper at $5 million.

Anthony Freeman Brown, 32, of Hamilton was arrested early Friday after police said he killed one person and wounded another as he tried to get away from a Fairfield Township Walmart during a robbery.

Brown’s attorney, Clyde Bennett, said the bond amount is unconstitutional.

“It is excessive,” Bennett said. “The court’s decision on bond will be challenged in the Butler County Court of Common Pleas and if necessary the 12th District Court of Appeals.”

A shopper was killed and a worker was hospitalized after the shooting at the Walmart at 3201 Princeton Road. The shooting occurred just before 8 p.m. Thursday, according to Fairfield Township Police Capt. Doug Lanier.

The Butler County coroner identified the man killed as Adam Lee Black, 35, of Columbus. He was fatally shot attempting to stop a man who was trying to steal items from the store, according to

Fairfield Township police.

An employee at the Walmart was also shot in the incident, but survived.

Brown was taken into custody in the Lowe’s parking lot off Roosevelt Parkway and Interstate 75 in Middletown shortly after 4 a.m., Lanier confirmed.

Brown was booked into the Butler County Jail on charges of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and having weapons under disability, according to Lanier. Additional charges are possible.

Officers tracked the suspect by cellphone pings to the Fairfield Inn near the Lowe’s, according to Butler County dispatchers.

A SWAT team was in place shortly before 4 a.m. and multiple law enforcement officers were seen going into the hotel.

During a search of the hotel, Brown jumped out of a first-floor window and dropped a handgun as he attempted to run, Lanier said. Police took him into custody after a brief foot chase.

At the time of the shooting, Brown was out on bond in an armed robbery case, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say he robbed Minnicks Drive-thru convenience store in Hamilton on Oct. 23. He had posted a $200,000 bond in that case, according to court records.

At the Fairfield Township Walmart on Thursday night, police said Brown attempted to steal items from the electronics section of the store. A shopper intervened, but Brown ran toward the front of the store, where another shopper tried to stop him, police said.

Brown then pulled out a handgun and shot and killed that shopper, police said.

An employee who was in the area and tried to help was also struck by a bullet. The employee was taken to UC West Chester for medical treatment and was in serious condition, according to police.

Hamilton police detectives later located the suspect’s vehicle and found a passenger in the car. The passenger and other witnesses were interviewed before police tracked the suspect to the hotel.

The case remains under investigation. If you have any information, call Fairfield Township detectives at 513887-4179 or Crime Stoppers at 513-3523040

Enquirer media partner Fox19 contributed.