EAST STROUDSBURG -- There is new information about what led up to Saturday's shooting at a Walmart in Monroe County.
Crime tape surrounded the store Saturday at Walmart in East Stroudsburg, where troopers say Andrew Todd of Mount Bethel threatened customers with two guns and a machete.
He was quite possibly drunk before being gunned down by two officers, a shooting that was just ruled justified by troopers and the district attorney's office late Monday afternoon.
Friends of Todd say he was drunk and upset before going to the store on his own. They are still in shock.
Rebecca Counterman of Stroudsburg knew Todd months before this incident. Counterman says Todd was living with her aunt and uncle in New Jersey, and on Thanksgiving, Todd told her he recently got out of a mental health facility.
"He was excited to tell me things were better. He felt better, but he got involved with alcohol again and that changed everything," Counterman said.
According to a Facebook post from Todd's sister, he suffered from multiple personality disorder and was only armed with BB guns Saturday night at Walmart.
"He was depressed. He wanted to kill himself, basically, the person who walked into Walmart," Counterman said.
"People with multiple personality disorders can have violent tendencies at certain times, however there are many people with multiple personality disorders that are not violent," explained Tina Clymer, Mental Health deputy administrator.
Tyler Shay had been with Todd just hours before he entered Walmart. The two were staying at a homeless shelter at the East Stroudsburg Salvation Army. Shay says Todd had been drinking all day and had the BB guns with him at the shelter.
"He shot at my pill bottles. He shot at my cologne. He was getting angry and he's a different person when he's drunk."
After trying to talk sense into Todd, Shay says he turned the gun on him.
"He aimed the gun at me and he shot me right in the shoulder. He claims it was an accident. He claims, 'I was just screwing around, I didn't know it was loaded.'"
Shortly after, Todd left for Walmart, only saying he was going to a "permanent place."
Police have yet to release whether or not Todd was armed with bullets or just BB pellets.
Todd's friend doesn't blame the police for firing that fatal shot.
"I understand where they're coming from, especially with all the stuff that goes on in our Walmart to begin with," said Counterman.
We reached out to Todd's family at their home in Northampton County, but they declined to comment.
