Teen accused of killing NC Walmart customer arrested nearly 900 miles away, cops say

A teen accused of killing a Walmart customer in North Carolina “to incite fear” has been captured nearly 900 miles away at a Chicago Greyhound bus station, according to investigators.

Ezekiel Burden, 17, was tracked down Tuesday, Jan. 21, and arrested with the help of an informant, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation said in a Jan. 22 news release.

A photo shows Burden looked dumbfounded as he was circled by a half-dozen U.S. Marshals at the terminal. He remains in custody in Illinois, awaiting extradition back to North Carolina, officials said.

Burden eluded capture for a month after being named one of two suspects in the Dec. 20 killing of Brandy Nicole Olson at a Lumberton Walmart. The store is about a 90-mile drive south from Raleigh.

Olson, 42, was standing in a line around 3:45 p.m. when the 17-year-old gunman fired shots “to incite fear,” according to the Lumberton Police Department.

“When officers arrived they found a female suffering from gunshot wound(s) at the Woodforest Bank, located inside the Super Walmart. Bystanders were attempting to provide life saving measures,” police said.

“The shooters fled from the store and left the area. The female victim was transported to UNC Health Southeastern where she later succumbed to her injuries.”

Investigators said Burden and 18-year-old Brian Campbell “targeted two people they knew” at the store. Campbell was captured Dec. 23 and charged with being an accessory after the fact to a felony.

A motive for the shooting has not been released.

Burden is wanted for first-degree murder, discharge of a firearm within enclosure to incite fear, and going armed to the terror of the people, police said.

Both suspects are from Lumberton, officials said.

This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 9:33 AM with the headline "Teen accused of killing NC Walmart customer arrested nearly 900 miles away, cops say."