A woman accused of setting several fires in a Fort Worth store in May told investigators that she ignited items because she didn’t believe a store employee was going to call police after she walked in with a gunshot wound.
Kandra Chatman had just been shot in a Family Dollar parking lot in Fort Worth when she stumbled into the store, according to an arrest warrant.
“They wouldn’t hand me the phone,” Chatman told a Fort Worth detective, the warrant states. “Like I had blood all over me, like, come on man, hand me the phone. She wouldn’t hand me the phone.”
A store assistant manager called police and told a dispatcher, ”Ahh, she’s setting (expletive) on fire!”
An investigation into the incident led Fort Worth police to arrest Chatman last month and charge her with arson in the case. A police report listed her home as in Fort Worth, but Tarrant County criminal court records had her home address in DeSoto.
The shooting and fire occurred May 7 at the Family Dollar at 2100 Ephriham Ave. in Fort Worth.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram obtained the warrant on Friday.
The warrant, written by Detective C. Bowden with Fort Worth’s arson/bomb division, provided these details in the case:
A Family Dollar security camera showed that there was an altercation in the parking lot during which a woman later identified as Kandra Chatman was shot by another person, then stumbled into the store, and walked into a cashier booth.
Further information on the shooting was not available on Friday.
On the surveillance video, Chatman can be seen talking to the assistant manager, who is holding a telephone.
The wounded Chatman appeared to become agitated and walked around the store.
At some point, Chatman picked up a lighter and lit an item on fire near the cashier booth. The assistant manager walked past Chatman, grabbed some burning balloons and ran outside with the items.
The employee recalled telling Chatman, “Stop setting (expletive) on fire, like what is wrong with you,” according to the warrant.
Chatman replied, “Call my momma, call 911.”
While the employee was outside, Chatman ignited plastic bags in a shopping bag carousel and paper items hanging on the wall, according to the warrant.
The video showed flames in the store when the assistant manager returned to the cashier booth and took down the burning paper on the wall.
Chatman picked up the burning paper and threw it outside of the cashier booth.
The assistant manager appeared to stomp on the burning paper and then picked up the burnt paper, once again taking the items outside.
At that point, Fort Worth police arrived, and Chatman stood up and put her hands up in the air.
Paramedics arrived to care for Chatman and the assistant manager, who suffered burns to her finger.
Chatman remained in the Tarrant County Jail on Friday with bond set at $6,000.
ShortWoman on January 8th, 2022 at 21:07 UTC »
It is worth noting that the Fort Worth Star Telegram used to be colloquially known as the Startlegram.
Fun2badult on January 8th, 2022 at 18:00 UTC »
If this story is true as is, this store should be shunned or the employee fired for letting a woman almost die with a gunshot wound and not helping
Havvocck2 on January 8th, 2022 at 15:51 UTC »
Well, it's one way to get the police to leave the doughnut shop next to the dollar store, walk to their car, drive three parking spaces, discuss if the fire department needs to be called, get out of the car, and then go inside to see what is happening.