Argument in Church’s Chicken drive-thru ends with worker shot dead, Tennessee cops say
A Church’s Chicken employee was shot and later died after arguing with a customer, Tennessee police said.
It happened Monday, July 8, at the fried chicken chain in Memphis, according to the city’s police department.
Officers were called just after 9 p.m. and found a woman shot outside the restaurant, police said in a news release. She was taken to a hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Authorities haven’t publicly identified her.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our team members” a Church’s Chicken spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to their family during this difficult time.”
The woman was working when a woman with purple hair driving a teal-colored SUV came through the restaurant’s drive-thru, police said. The two began arguing, though it’s not clear what the dispute was about.
The customer drove off soon after, and the employee stepped outside to “get some air,” according to authorities.
That’s when police said gunfire rang out and the employee was shot.
Surveillance video showed the teal SUV speeding from the parking lot shortly after the shooting, authorities said.
No arrests had been made of July 9, but police said they found the suspect’s car.
A spokesperson for Church’s Chicken said the Memphis location will remain closed for the next few days.
“We are working closely with the Memphis Police Department on their ongoing investigation and we ask that if you have any information, please contact www.crimestopmem.org immediately,” the spokesperson said.
This story was originally published July 9, 2024 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Argument in Church’s Chicken drive-thru ends with worker shot dead, Tennessee cops say."