New video shows deadly altercation at AMPM that led to the arrest of an employee

REDDING, California — An AMPM employee was arrested last year after a violent altercation at the store that left a man dead. Video from that night has finally been released, and Shannon Rawlins, the employee who was ultimately acquitted of murder charges, said it proves his innocence.

In surveillance video obtained by the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, a man named Miguel Padilla enters the AMPM convenience store on Lake Boulevard at approximately 9:40 p.m. on January 12, 2024. The video shows Padilla getting into an argument with another customer in the back of the store before AMPM employee Rawlins leaves the front counter to break up the argument.

After the argument ends, the video shows Rawlins returning to the cash register and completing Padilla’s purchase while the other customer leaves the store. However, the video then shows a verbal exchange between Rawlins and Padilla, which leads to Rawlins coming out from behind the counter and confronting Padilla, which then leads to a physical altercation.

Rawlins claims he was simply trying to get Padilla to leave the store, but he refused.

“‘You’re the guy on the news. You’re the guy who beat up the customer.’ I didn’t beat up anyone and that’s what the video shows,” Rawlins said.

The district attorney’s office did not comment further on the matter, instead referring to an earlier statement that said: “Throughout the case, our prosecutor sought justice for the victim, Miguel Padilla, and even successfully took the case to the Third District Court of Appeals to challenge a previous dismissal of the murder charge by a superior court. Despite our prosecutor’s extensive efforts to obtain a different result, we respect the thought and consideration the jury put into its verdict.”

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