A 30-year-old man got into a heated argument over masks with a cashier in a Georgia, Atlanta supermarket on Monday, returned with a gun and shot her, police confirmed.
Victor Lee Tucker got into an argument with the cashier at Big Bear Supermarket in DeKalb County, Georgia and shot her, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said in a statement. A retired sheriff’s deputy was also injured in the incident.
The cashier – whose identity was not revealed by police until Monday night – was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she died.
DeKalb County sheriff Melody M Maddox said Mr. Tucker and the retired deputy were also rushed to the hospital following the incident.
Cynthia Williams, DeKalb sheriff’s office spokeswoman, told the media that the incident took place at a supermarket in the South Dekalb shopping mall on Candler Road.
There were several people inside when Mr. Tucker opened fire. Ms. Maddox confirmed that the argument between Mr. Tucker and the cashier began “about wearing a mask”.
After the verbal duel with the cashier, Mr Tucker left the supermarket without buying anything. But the police say he returned immediately.
The GBI said, “Tucker went straight back to the till, pulled out a pistol, and shot it.”
The retired sheriff’s deputy, who was also injured in the shooting, had a part-time security job at the store. Authorities said Mr Tucker started shooting the deputy, who then returned fire.
The retired MP was at the Dekalb district police station for more than 30 years. Ms. Maddox said he was shot twice but was wearing a bulletproof vest. The deputy was taken to the Atlanta Medical Center after the incident.
It is currently in a stable condition.
A bullet “grazed” a second cashier in the store, the GBI informed the media.
Mr Tucker was arrested while trying to crawl out the front door, Ms. Maddox said. He was also injured in the incident and taken to the hospital, but police have not released any further details about his current condition.
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported that “the incident marks the 41st law enforcement officer shooting that the GBI has investigated this year.”
