A North Carolina McDonald’s employee fatally shot a woman in the restaurant after inserting himself into an argument the woman was having with someone else, Hendersonville police say.
Sam Antwan Ivey, 35, was booked on charges of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm in the death of Jacklyn Marie Reed, 30, who was killed in the restaurant Monday morning. According to police, Reed had been arguing with another woman at a bus stop near the McDonald’s, and the other woman decided to “retreat” into the restaurant to separate herself from the situation.
Reed followed the woman into the McDonald’s and continued the argument, causing what police described as a “disturbance.” A manager attempted to separate the two women, prompting Reed to leave the restaurant, only to return shortly after and continue the disturbance, according to police.
At some point, Reed reached out and touched Ivey, who shot her in the chest with a concealed handgun and fled the scene in his car, police said.
Hendersonville police Chief Blair Myhand told local news outlet WYFF4 that Ivey had inserted himself into the altercation when he shouldn’t have.
“This was a matter-of-fact shooting,” Myhand told the outlet. “Based on what we see in surveillance video, this was a far overreaction to the situation that was happening.”
Ivey was taken into custody in the parking lot of a nearby elementary school, after a school resource deputy recognized him.
According to police, the school went into secure holding as part of protocol, and Ivey was taken into custody without incident. Investigators do not believe Ivey intended to harm anyone at the school.
Ivey is currently being held at the Henderson County Detention Facility, according to booking records. It’s not clear whether he has an attorney.
Myhand told WYFF4 that Reed, a Tennessee native, had been in town for several days, and that police had received multiple calls about her “erratic and alarming behavior.” He described the shooting as “senseless” and “cold-blooded.”
“This crime to me was completely senseless, and if you watched it on TV, you would not expect the result that happened,” he said.
In a statement to HuffPost, Teresa Edwards, the franchise owner, said her team is in shock after the incident, and that their hearts go out to Reed’s family.
“We are concentrating on ensuring our people receive the support they need, and are making crisis counselors available to all employees,” Edwards’ statement read. “We continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement in their investigation and encourage the community to direct any questions to the Hendersonville Police Department.”
According to the franchise owner, Ivey was in direct violation of the rules of conduct, which prohibit firearms on company property.
“All employees go through conflict-management training as part of their onboarding, and we are looking at expanding that training even further in light of this tragedy,” Edwards said.
This article has been updated to clarify the attribution of the comments on employee training and policy.