Inset: Ashley Murff (Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center). Background: The Sam’s Club where Murff allegedly used a racial slur and punched another shopper (Google Maps).
A North Carolina teacher is facing serious charges after an alleged altercation at a Sam’s Club in South Carolina on Valentine’s Day. The incident reportedly involved an assault and the use of a racial slur, according to witnesses.
Ashley Murff, aged 42, was arrested and charged with third-degree assault and battery. The arrest was made after she allegedly punched another woman in the face during the confrontation. This information is detailed in court documents.
Murff is a teacher at Winget Park Elementary School, part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North Carolina. The district has not commented on the incident involving their employee at this time.
The altercation occurred around 1:15 p.m. on February 14, at the Sam’s Club located on Fashion Drive, approximately 90 miles south of Charlotte. Deputies from the Richland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene following reports of an assault and racial slur usage, as reported by local CBS affiliate WBTV here.
According to the victim, the dispute began while she was waiting in line for a rotisserie chicken. Murff, standing behind her, allegedly used a racial slur, which sparked a verbal altercation between the two women.
The situation escalated when the victim attempted to take a photograph of Murff. At this point, Murff allegedly struck her in the face, as reported by Greenville NBC affiliate WYFF here. Bystanders eventually intervened to separate the two women.
Murff allegedly left the store before authorities arrived, but authorities identified her through surveillance footage and obtained a warrant for her arrest.
T’Nae Parker, a friend of the victim, told Columbia-based Fox affiliate WACH that her friend was in line waiting for a chicken and took an extra one for an older lady who was not able to wait in line.
“There was an elderly lady that didn’t have the ability to stand in line, and my friend offered to just get a chicken for her,” Parker told the station. “People are allowed to do that. You’re allowed to get more than one chicken.”
Murff allegedly got angry and called Parker’s friend “the N-word.”
“That’s when she called her the racial slur,” Parker continued. “She called her the racial slur twice, the N-word, and she said it twice.”
Parker said the incident did not reflect well on Murff’s reputation as a school teacher.
“The situation highlights why it matters what people believe in, the biases that they carry,” she said. “Those beliefs don’t just exist in private. They show up in classrooms.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reportedly announced that Murff has been suspended from her position with pay pending an investigation.
Murff was booked into Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center Wednesday morning. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to appear in court.
