Christopher Wasnetsky and Jeffrey Moeller were involved in a tragic incident at a Lowe’s store, with a picture showing Wasnetsky on the left and Moeller and his wife on the right. Wasnetsky, an inmate at Lackawanna County Prison, allegedly shot and killed Moeller at the store according to reports from WNEP.
An employee at a Lowe’s near Scranton, Pennsylvania, walked up to a co-worker on a forklift and shot him dead, cops allege.
Before the unfortunate event, Wasnetsky, aged 36, had communicated with human resources to express that he would not have taken such extreme actions against Moeller if his complaints against him had been properly addressed. This information was disclosed in a criminal report obtained by local ABC station WNEP as well as the Scranton Times-Tribune.
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Wasnetsky stands accused of first- and third-degree murder in Moeller’s death.
Police from Scranton arrived at the Lowe’s store on Viewmont Drive at approximately 12:30 a.m. on a Saturday in response to the shooting. Moeller, aged 44, was found at the scene with severe injuries from two gunshots to his head and one to his back, while lying in a pool of blood. Emergency medical services transported him to the hospital, but sadly, he did not survive.
Cops apparently didn’t have to wait long for a confession. After shooting Moeller, Wasnetsky is said to have called 911.
“I’d like to report a shooting at Dickson City Lowe’s,” he allegedly told a dispatcher. “I was the person that did it.”
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When the dispatcher asked why he pulled the trigger, Wasnetsky reportedly said it had to do with “months of harassment and other things.” The store manager later told detectives they looked into Wasnetsky’s complaints but found no evidence to back them up, according to the complaint.
Wasnetsky reiterated his beef with Moeller when talking to detectives.
“He said the victim, Jeff, had been harassing him over a period of time, and no one would do anything about it,” police reportedly wrote in the affidavit.
He allegedly said he brought a handgun with him to work and planned on shooting Moller before turning the weapon on himself. Wasnetsky reportedly told cops he had practiced shooting the gun in his backyard.
Detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the store that captured the shooting. Moeller was on the forklift when Wasnetsky allegedly walked up to him while wheeling a shopping cart. He pulled out a gun from the cart and shot Moeller from about 5 feet away, cops reportedly allege. Moeller fell to the ground and tried to crawl to safety, but Wasnetsky stood over him and fired more shots, per the complaint.
On a GoFundMe page, the victim’s sister challenged the notion that her husband had been harassing Wasnetsky. Moeller had reported “ongoing concerns” with Wasnetsky to HR “multiple times.”
A Lowe’s spokesperson said in a statement to local media the company is working closely with law enforcement.
“The safety of our associates and customers is our top priority, and we are deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence,” the statement said.
Moeller had been a stay-at-home dad for the three daughters he shared with his wife. Once the girls were old enough for school, he took overnight shifts at Lowe’s so he could still be with them during the day, his sister said.
“That’s just the kind of man he was — loyal, dedicated, and full of love for his family,” she wrote. “If you knew Jeffrey, you knew he had the softest heart & the loudest laugh. He & Keisha had recently reconnected with their faith, and he was planning to be baptized this Father’s Day, alongside his daughters. He was so proud to be their dad, everything he did was for his family.”
Wasnetsky remains in the Lackawanna County Prison without bond. His next court date is scheduled for June 30.
