Woman Held Door Open for Stranger, Sparking Deadly ‘Thank You’ Dispute Outside PetSmart — and Killer Learns Fate
PetSmartCredit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty
A Texas woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting another woman outside of a PetSmart after they got into an argument
Keona Hampton, 23, shot Cecilia Simpson, 41, after yelling at her for not saying “thank you” when she held a door open for her and then followed her into the store’s parking lot
Hampton reportedly shot Simpson three times in front of her daughter and then quickly fled the scene
A woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting another woman in a PetSmart parking lot following an argument over the victim not saying “thank you” after the now-convicted woman held a door open for her.
Keona Hampton, 23, received her sentence late last month in connection with the Oct. 9, 2025 shooting of 41-year-old Cecilia Simpson, according to CBS Texas, The Dallas News, and local KDFW. CBS reported that the court records, which were made available this week, showed Hampton had accepted a plea deal.
Citing court records, CBS reported that Hampton confessed to getting into an argument with Simpson after she held a door open for her while exiting a Five Below and then following her to PetSmart, where she continued to argue with Simpson inside the store.
PetSmart employees asked Hampton and Simpson to leave the store, leading to the argument continuing outside in the store’s parking lot. Citing a police affidavit, CBS reported that Hampton confessed to throwing a bottle at Simpson’s car, which reportedly led to Simpson approaching her and starting a physical altercation.
KDFW reported that Simpson was shopping with her daughter at the time of her death. Citing court documents, KDFW reported that Simpson’s daughter told police that she began to step away from the incident when Hampton and her mother started fighting. That’s when Hampton pulled out a gun and shot Simpson three times, Simpson’s daughter told police, according to the outlet.
PetSmartCredit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty
Police obtained store security camera footage and cell phone video taken by witnesses at the scene that showed Hampton quickly walk away from the shooting, get into her black sedan and then drive away from the scene while Simpson laid on the ground, according to KDFW.
“The shooter was saying, ‘Come outside. Let’s handle this outside. Let’s fight outside.’ And the mom and daughter were just telling her to, like, go away,” a 27-year-old ER nurse told KDFW at the time.
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The nurse, who attempted to provide life-saving CPR to Simpson before paramedics arrived at the scene, told the outlet: “The mother and daughter tried to get in the car to de-escalate the situation but the lady wasn’t having it. They started to fight and that’s when the lady pulled out her gun and shot her.”
Hampton was arrested later that day and has been in custody since then.
According to CBS, Hampton will receive 303 days time served against her sentencing because she’s been in custody since the shooting last October.
Source: Crime
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