Candlelight Vigil Set For Slain Walmart Security Worker

LILBURN, GA -- A candlelight vigil has been scheduled for the Walmart loss-prevention officer who was shot and killed while trying to stop a man from shoplifting television sets.

The vigil for J.D. Ferguson will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, at the Walmart Supercenter in Lilburn.

Ferguson, 25, was working at the store, at 4004 Lawrenceville Hwy., on April 10 when police say he was trying to detain a suspect who put three flat-screen TV sets into a shopping cart and walked out of the store with them. The suspect fought back, pulling a .380-caliber pistol and shooting Ferguson.

Police have charged Boaz Anthony Fordyce, 37, with felony murder, aggravated assault and felony theft by shoplifting in the case.

Thursday's vigil will be attended by Ferguson's family, and donations will be collected for them.

The event is sponsored by workers' rights groups and local politicians.

They include Making Change at Walmart, UFCW Local 1996, the Atlanta Labor Council, and Georgia state Rep. Dewey McClain.

Advocates say they plan to present a bulletproof vest to Walmart management, demonstrating one way they say his life could have been saved.

Donations for the family, including J.D.'s widow and three young children, may also be made at https://www.gofundme.com/jdferguson.