In North Carolina, an elementary school teacher is under scrutiny for allegedly using a racial slur and punching a fellow shopper at a Sam’s Club over a dispute involving rotisserie chickens, as reported.
Ashley Murff, aged 42, is now charged with third-degree assault and battery. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department named her the “primary aggressor” in the incident that occurred on Valentine’s Day.
Authorities were dispatched to the South Carolina Sam’s Club around 1:30 p.m. on February 14 following an assault report, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
The victim relayed to investigators that while in line, Murff allegedly directed a racial slur at her, sparking a verbal confrontation. When the victim attempted to photograph Murff, she claims Murff struck her in the face.
The altercation reportedly started after the victim tried to take two rotisserie chickens, as detailed by WACH and other sources.
By the time deputies arrived, Murff had left the scene. However, investigators identified her from the store’s surveillance footage and subsequently issued a warrant for her arrest, concluding she was the “primary aggressor.” The teacher was apprehended around 9:30 a.m. on February 18.
Although the victim was not identified by authorities, her friend T’Nae Parker said the victim had offered to pick up an extra chicken for an elderly woman who was unable to stand in the line herself.
“My friend offered to just get a chicken for her,” Parker told WACH. “People are allowed to do that. You’re allowed to get more than one chicken.”
The dispute broke out, according to Parker, after Murff allegedly called her friend “the N-word” twice, before punching her.
“She’s shaken up, physically, you know, she was punched in the face. She’s had headaches,” Parker explained of the lasting effects on the victim. “And also, just the mental toll of it, it’s just unbelievable.”
Murff has been a teacher with North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district since 2015 and was teaching at Winget Park Elementary at the time of the incident, according to records provided to Oxygen.
She’s been suspended with pay from her teaching post as the investigation continues.
It’s unclear whether Murff has retained an attorney. As of Feb. 18, she was being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center while awaiting a bond hearing, the sheriff’s department said.
