Willie Tate, a 43-year-old man, was working as a security guard at a Giant grocery store in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on the morning of November 4, 2022, when a fatal encounter unfolded. He approached 20-year-old Zaila Akida, who he suspected of attempting to shoplift. The confrontation escalated tragically when Akida pulled a gun from her backpack and shot Tate.
Tate, who was armed, returned fire, striking Akida.
When Prince George's County police officers arrived at the Eastover Shopping Center, they found both individuals with gunshot wounds. Willie Tate was pronounced dead at the scene. Akida was transported to a nearby hospital, where she also died from her injuries.
The entire incident was captured on the store's video surveillance, which was recovered by homicide detectives for review. Family members remembered Willie Tate as a loving husband, father, and brother who had recently taken the security job to be closer to his family. His wife mentioned that he had expressed concerns about the safety of that particular store location due to previous incidents. She also believed that if the woman had been hungry, her husband would have likely offered to buy the groceries for her.
