Police identify the pedestrian fatally hit by car outside KCK Walmart as 82-year-old man

Kansas City, Kansas police have identified the pedestrian killed outside of a Walmart on Thursday as 82-year-old Lawrence Walford.

Walford, of Kansas City, Kansas, was struck by a vehicle outside the business in the 10800 block of Parallel Parkway, Nancy Chartrand, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement Friday. Walford was taken to an area hospital and died there from his injuries on Thursday.

Another pedestrian who was struck by the same vehicle was also hospitalized but has since been released, Chartrand said. The driver, a 56-year-old woman, remains in critical condition.

Officers were called to the scene around 2:35 p.m. Police discovered the two pedestrians had been struck outside the store and had suffered injuries described as life-threatening.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation Friday. But police have said the crash appeared accidental and may have stemmed from a medical emergency suffered by the driver.

Officers maintained a presence near the businesses for hours Thursday, as a large portion of the Walmart parking lot was blocked off with crime scene tape suspended by shopping carts. Business at the store appeared to be largely unaffected, though one of its main entrances remained closed until nightfall.

In a statement Thursday, a Walmart spokesman said the company offered its sympathies to those involved and referred questions about the incident to local law enforcement.

After striking the pedestrians, the vehicle, a black GMC Yukon, apparently crashed and rolled over a large brick planter box running along the storefront before coming to rest with its front wheels inside a large, shattered window. The vehicle was removed from its spot by a large crane and tow truck on Thursday night.

Police are encouraging witnesses or anyone with information about the case to contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

The Star’s Aaron Torres and Kaitlin Washburn contributed to this report.