A Deadly and Black Friday for a Wal-mart employee

Wal-mart’s rumpus caught on camara

Around 5 a.m. today, an estimated 2000 bargain shoppers breached the doors to the shopping center in Valley Stream, Long Island and knocking down a 34-year-old part-time male employee who was pronounced dead an hour later. The store is located 20 miles east of Manhattan.

"This crowd was out of control," said Nassau Police Det. Lt. Michael Fleming, who is investigating the death. He characterized the rumpus as "utter chaos." Asked at a news conference whether the store had enough security given the crowds that Black Friday shopping typically attracts, Fleming said no. Four shoppers had minor injuries, police said.

Criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.

The industry’s largest retail group said the incident was rare.

"We are not aware of any other circumstances where a retail employee has died working on the day after Thanksgiving," said Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation.

Jimmy Overby, a 43-year-old co-worker of the dead man, told the New York Daily News. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too … I literally had to fight people off my back."

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was also taken in for observation and

Nassau Police investigates the free-for-all death

three other shoppers suffered minor injuries during the incident, police said. The pregnant woman and the unborn baby were reported to be OK, a Nassau County police spokesman.

The store in Valley Stream was closed for several hours after the stampede. It reopened shortly after 1 p.m. Wal-Mart representative Dan Fogleman called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the victim came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," Fogleman said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time. At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County Police as they investigate what occurred."