Georgia grocery store cashier shot dead by customer after argument over face masks

A cashier at the Big Bear Supermarket in Decatur, Georgia, was shot dead Monday afternoon by a customer who had gotten in an argument with her about wearing a face mask, left the store without buying anything, and returned with a handgun, DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Monday evening. The customer, identified by the GBI as Victor Lee Tucker, 30, also exchanged fire with a reserve sheriff's deputy working security at the store and wounded another cashier.

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Tucker and the security guard were both wounded and taken to separate hospitals where both men are listed in stable condition. Maddox said the reserve deputy was hit twice by gunfire but was wearing a bulletproof vest. DeKalb County police arrested Tucker as he was trying to crawl out the store's front door. The GBI said it was asked to investigate the incident because an officer was involved in the gunfire. Decatur is a suburb of Atlanta.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.