A manhunt is underway for a suspect who fatally shot a single mom at a Church’s Chicken restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Monica Williams, 45. She is charged with fatally shooting Church’s Chicken worker Anitra West, 48, during a dispute over a food order on Monday, July 8.
Williams pulled into the Church’s Chicken drive-thru at 2963 Park Avenue in Orange Mound just before 9 p.m. An argument ensued between Williams and West in the drive-thru.
After Williams drove off, West went outside “to get some air,” according to police.
Moments later, co-workers heard gunfire. Police found West suffering from a gunshot wound outside the restaurant. She died at a local hospital.
Police say the two women were strangers to each other.
One of the first places police began searching for Williams was at FedEx, where she worked delivering packages.
A FedEx spokesperson said Williams was fired immediately after she was named a suspect in the shooting.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the friends and family of Anitra West as they mourn the loss of a loved one. We can confirm Monica Williams is no longer employed by FedEx, FedEx Media Relations said in a statement.
Family members described West as a shining light and a beautiful soul.
“I’m a better man because of her,” Loranzo West, her ex-husband and high school sweetheart, told a reporter. “That’s what will be missed the most, because everywhere she went, she impacted everybody.”
According to criminal records obtained by Action News 5, Williams served three years in prison following a conviction for aggravated assault in 2009.
She was charged with stabbing her boyfriend’s child’s mother and hitting her with a tree branch.
