A Dollar General manager was shot and killed by an irate customer in Georgia after he handed her two crumpled $1 bills to buy hamburger buns, officials said.
Alexis Hill, 44, was checking out customers at the Columbus location on Tuesday around 10am when Jerome Willis stepped to her counter to pay for his $1.58 purchase. While Hill flattened out the creased cash, Willis flattened to the side, pulled out a gun, and shot her, Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan told WTVM.
The mother-of-three was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.45am, Bryan said. Willis fled the store and ran to a nearby parking lot, where Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) officers found him around 11.40am, the agency said. They gave him verbal demands, but when the suspect ‘did not comply’, officers released a K-9 officer to apprehend Willis. As they did so, Willis again pulled out a gun and shot at the K-9 officer and others. In response, police fired several shots back, killing the gunman. Columbus Police Department (CPD) officer was treated at a hospital and later released. The police dog, named Havoc, was transported to a veterinary hospital before being airlifted to an emergency hospital, authorities said.
Alexis Hill, 44, was shot dead by Jerome Willis, 33, on Tuesday morning after he handed her two crumpled-up $1 bills to pay for a package of hamburger buns at a Dollar General store in Columbus, Georgia. Hill was a hardworking manager at the store. She was also a mother to three sons and two grandchildren. The mother-of-three was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.45am, Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan said
Havoc is recovering from surgery after being sent home on Saturday, CPD said. Hill and Willis did not know each other, her family said. The GBI continues to investigate the deadly incident.
Willis fled the scene after shooting Hill but was later gunned down by police and killed. Hill has been remembered not only as a loving mother to her three sons, but also as a sister and grandmother.
‘She was taken from us leaving behind 3 children and 2 grandchildren,’ her grief-stricken brother, Jonathan Hill, wrote on a GoFundMe page. ‘Our family is devastated, Alexis touched many lives with her kindness, generosity, and spirit, and we want to come together to celebrate her life and support her estate during this difficult time.’
The donations are set to go toward covering the costs of her memorial service, burial, and supporting her kids and grandchildren, her brother said. Jonathan described his little sister as someone you can always count on. ‘She can’t be replaced. It’s a loss that I’m going to have to deal with, and the family is going to have to deal with,’ he told Local12. One of Hill’s friends, who didn’t want to be identified, said she was a ‘sweet’ and ‘positive’ person.
Jonathan Hill described his little sister as someone you can always count on. He has gone on to launch a GoFundMe page to help raise money for her funeral and her family.
One of Hill’s friends, who didn’t want to be identified, said she was a ‘sweet’ and ‘positive’ person. Dollar General manager killed in Columbus shooting; suspect dead after officer-involved shooting Dollar General manager killed in Columbus shooting; suspect dead after officer-involved shooting Police said an officer and K-9 were injured at a second scene after the suspect opened fire For more Local News from WTVM: https://www.wtvm.com/ For more YouTube ‘She is a sweet person. So I don’t know who would do something like this. It’s just crazy,’ the woman told WTVM.
‘She would work her entire butt off for that job, though,’ she added. Following the shooting, CPD posted an update about Havoc and the injured police officer on social media. ‘Today was a difficult day for our community and for #TeamCPD. In a matter of hours, one life was lost, an officer was injured, and one of our K9s was seriously wounded. ‘It serves as a reminder of the dangers our officers face every day while working to protect this community.
‘Please keep the victim’s loved ones, K9 Havoc, the injured officer, and all members of #TeamCPD in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.’
