Inset: Kathy Bledsoe (Belleville Police Department). Background: The McDonald’s located at 125 South Belt East in Belleville, Illinois, where Kathy Bledsoe reportedly shot two individuals, including the mother of a young worker (KMOV/YouTube).
An Illinois McDonald’s manager is accused of shooting the mother of a teenage staff member following an incident where the teen “refused to take out the trash” during a shift. The teenager then contacted her mother after being instructed to “clock out and leave,” according to law enforcement.
Kathy Bledsoe, 44, allegedly drew a gun and shot Tynika R. McKinzie, 35, amid a confrontation that also led to another person being injured at the Belleville McDonald’s on Wednesday, as reported by local authorities. McKinzie is facing charges too, as she allegedly attacked Bledsoe that night, hitting her in the head and face before being shot in the leg.
“During the investigation, it was determined that the initial dispute began when the manager on duty, Kathy M. Bledsoe, asked an employee, a juvenile female, to take the trash to the dumpster,” the Belleville Police Department said in a press release Friday. “The juvenile refused to take the trash out, and the manager told her to clock out and go home. The juvenile contacted her mother, Tynika R. McKinzie, who responded to the store with another juvenile female.”
During the altercation, Bledsoe allegedly “produced a handgun” and fired a single round into McKinzie’s leg. She was taken into custody at the scene and McKinzie was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
“It seems individuals are quick to resort to violence to resolve disputes without consideration of the impact their actions have on the community as a whole,” BPD officials said Friday. “This was an unnecessary incident that could have been mitigated without punches being thrown or a gun being used. BPD will continue to work with community members to ensure individuals who wish to handle disputes in this manner are held accountable.”
Bledsoe was slated to be moved to the St. Clair County Jail on Friday pending a detention hearing. Her arrest comes just days after a 26-year-old McDonald’s employee in Michigan was arrested after she allegedly killed her manager, stabbing the 39-year-old mother to death after the two had a verbal dispute that ended with the victim sending the suspect home early.
