FORT WAYNE — A 75-year-old woman died following a physical altercation with a Tim Hortons shift lead at a Fort Wayne, Indiana, location on May 13, prompting a police investigation and temporary store closure. The Fort Wayne Police Department responded to a reported battery that day involving Anita Grayson and a 20-year-old employee.
Anita Grayson had entered the Tim Hortons to address an issue with her drive-thru order and began berating a 17-year-old female employee, police said. The 20-year-old shift lead told Grayson to leave and placed her hands on Grayson to prevent her from reaching the younger worker. Grayson then shoved the shift lead backward and struck her face, according to police.
Security footage shows Grayson and the shift lead on the floor during the altercation. The shift lead sustained scratches and had a chunk of hair pulled from her head.
After the altercation, Grayson was seen walking around the restaurant, and an employee gave her a cup of water. By the time police arrived, however, Grayson was unresponsive. She was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead by medics.
Anita Grayson had a chronic heart condition and was under medical care for it. The cause and manner of her death have not yet been officially determined and may take weeks to establish. No arrests have been made in connection with her death.
The Fort Wayne Police Department turned the investigation over to the county prosecutor to determine if charges will be filed. A company spokesperson confirmed the Tim Hortons store is temporarily closed and will reopen at some point, though no timeline has been provided.
“You should not enter a coffee shop for a coffee and a doughnut and come out unalived. That is diabolical. It could have been your mother,” said Tawanda Grayson, Anita Grayson’s daughter. “I lost the matriarch of my family,” she added. “She was wronged in the worst way.”
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