Suspect In Supermarket Shooting Released From Hospital, Arrested

DECATUR, GA — The man accused of killing a cashier at Big Bear Supermarket last week during an argument over face masks has been released from the hospital and jailed, authorities said.

Victor Lee Tucker, 30, of Palmetto is facing murder and aggravated assault charges for the shooting, which ended with the shooting death of Laquitta Willis, the 41-year-old cashier. Investigators said Tucker left the grocery store without purchasing anything, but returned with a gun and shot Willis.

A DeKalb County Sheriff's Office reserves deputy, 54-year-old Danny Jordan, was working part-time security at the supermarket when the shooting happened. He intervened and fired his gun at Tucker, striking him — but Tucker also shot the deputy twice, a DeKalb sheriff's spokesperson said.

Read more: Cashier Killed Over Face Mask Argument Identified: Police

Jordan's protective vest likely saved his life, but he still suffered injuries, DeKalb Sheriff Melody Maddox said in a news conference last Tuesday. Tucker was taken to the hospital due to his gunshot wounds, where he remained until Friday, according to the DeKalb Sheriff's Office.

Once Tucker was released from the hospital, he was booked into the DeKalb County Jail where he remains without bond, a spokesperson for the DeKalb County Police Department said Monday. His specific charges are malice murder, aggravated assault of an officer with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault with intent to murder, jail records show.

Family and friends of Willis gathered Monday afternoon for her funeral, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. She had worked at the supermarket for more than 10 years, and both customers and Deputy Danny Jordan were at a vigil in honor of Willis last week.

“She was very nice. I’ve been knowing her for 10 years. I have come in and she’s always been treated like family,” Dorothy Ramsey, a longtime customer, told WSB-TV last week.

The funeral for Willis was livestreamed and can be viewed on Vimeo here, but Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home said the audio for the service is not available due to a technical issue, the AJC reported. The funeral home plans to air the service again later Monday.