Laquitta Willis, a 41-year-old Black female, was at her job as a cashier at the Big Bear Supermarket on Candler Road in Decatur, Georgia, on Monday, June 14, 2021, a role she had held for over a decade. During her shift, she asked a customer, Victor Lee Tucker Jr., to adjust his face mask. An argument ensued between Willis and Tucker, who then left the store without completing his purchase.
The confrontation, however, did not end there. Shortly after leaving, Tucker, a 30-year-old from Palmetto, returned to the supermarket, this time armed with a handgun. He walked directly to Willis and shot her. The sound of the gunshot prompted an off-duty DeKalb County Reserves Deputy, Danny Jordan, who was working as a security guard, to intervene. Tucker then began shooting at the deputy, and the two exchanged gunfire. In the shootout, both Tucker and Jordan were wounded. Another cashier was grazed by a bullet but was treated at the scene.
Laquitta Willis was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead. The injured deputy, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was also hospitalized and listed in stable condition. Tucker was taken to the same hospital to be treated for his wounds before being taken into custody. As he was attempting to crawl out the front door of the supermarket, two DeKalb County Police Department officers subdued and arrested him.
Following his release from the hospital, Victor Lee Tucker Jr. was charged with malice murder and two counts of aggravated assault. He was booked into the DeKalb County jail, where he was held without bond. The community mourned the loss of Willis, creating a memorial of flowers and messages outside the store where she had worked for so long. Friends, family, and customers remembered her as a sweet, dependable, and hardworking person whose life was senselessly taken while she was doing her job.
