A Black woman who was a cashier at an Atlanta area supermarket was shot and killed for asking a customer to put on a face mask.

LaQuitta Willis, 41, died on Monday in a triple shooting at the Big Bear Supermarket in Decatur, GA., according to DeKalb County police. The suspected shooter, 30-year-old Victor Lee Tucker Jr. of Palmetto, has been arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault, according to ABC News.

A community is reeling after the fatal turn of events and people have gathered outside of the store in the suburban community to offer their condolences and show support.

According to reports, Willis and Tucker got into a heated exchange after she asked him to cover up his face with a mask – a protocol to avoid COVID-19 contamination.

 

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Tucker argued with Willis, then reportedly left the store without buying anything, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. But the irate offender soon returned, headed straight for Willis, pulled out his gun and commenced to shooting her, reports the GBI.

A security guard, DeKalb County Reserves Deputy Danny Jordan, 54, sprang into action, and fired back at Tucker who fired off several shots and was also shot and injured. Jordan was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was shot twice. Jordan was off-duty but working that particular day, according to the GBI. The sheriff’s office said in a release that Jordan was in stable condition and is hospitalized.

Tucker was also injured and remains in a hospital but was expected to survive, police said.

Another cashier was grazed by a bullet.

In a show of support, members of the community showed up at the supermarket, still in disbelief over the latest wave of supermarket shooting violence.

“I always felt safe coming here, so that had to (have) been a very angry person,” said Helene Mapp, who knew Willis, according to WSBTV.

“I am devastated as to what happened in this community,” Mapp said.

“Every one of these ladies up here real sweet. Real sweet ladies, man, and it really don’t make no sense, you know what I mean? Senseless,” Mapp said.

Source: Black Woman Cashier Shot And Killed After Asking Customer To Wear Face Mask

 

Many athletes are voicing support for the protests against racial injustice and against the police killings of unarmed Black men and women.

Professional tennis player Naomi Osaka has continued the trend. Osaka donned a mask bearing the name of Trayvon Martin ahead of her U.S. Open match against Anett Kontaveit over the weekend.

The 22-year-old tennis pro, who beat Kontaveit, has worn a different mask bearing the name of a victim of police violence–Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, and Martin–to every match at this year’s Open.

 

Fabric of Injustice

 

Osaka, the highest-paid female athlete ever, recently made headlines when she dropped out of the semifinals for the Western & Southern Open in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake by law enforcement officials in Wisconsin.

“Before I am an athlete, I am a Black woman. And as a Black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis,” Osaka said.

“I don’t expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority White sport I consider that a step in the right direction,” she continued, while also calling out what she called the “continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police.”

Source: Tennis Star Naomi Osaka Sports Trayvon Martin Face Mask at the U.S. Open