‘My Mom Was Murdered … Video Don’t Lie’: Family Erupts After Elderly Woman Dies Following Vicious Fight with Tim Hortons Employee As Police Refuse to Press Charges
A verbal dispute between an elderly Black woman and a younger white female employee at a Tim Hortons restaurant in Fort Wayne, Indiana last week turned physical and soon ended in the 75-year-old’s death.
After store surveillance video of what police called an “altercation” between the two women surfaced, her family is calling for the arrest of the employee on assault and murder charges.
The surveillance video posted on Tonda Grayson’s Facebook page on Monday, which is dark and contains no sound, begins with her mother Anita Grayson pointing her finger and appearing to argue with a female employee behind the counter at the coffee shop.
The employee puts her hand on Grayson’s shoulder and pushes her back, and Grayson appears to respond by swatting the woman in the face. The younger woman then rushes from behind the counter, and after a brief faceoff seems to push Grayson onto the floor, then leans over and appears to strike her violently with her hand in the area of her head and upper body several times.
A second female employee approaches the two, but her movements are hard to see. A third female employee then enters the fray and with some effort pulls her two co-workers away from Grayson, who lies on the floor for about 20 seconds, then sits up, appearing dazed, her white hair mussed. She stands up and sits on a bench for about 45 seconds, then walks across the restaurant, retrieves something from behind a chair, and walks out of the camera’s view.
Grayson apparently collapsed and died soon afterward on her way to the hospital.
Family Says Surveillance Video Tells a Different Story
Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) records show police responded on May 13 at 8:13 a.m. to “an altercation involving a reported battery” at the coffee shop. Sgt. Jonathan Cutler initially told WANE on Friday that the older woman became unresponsive at some point before police were able to interact with her. Medics at the scene tried to save her life, but she was later pronounced dead.
Cutler told reporters that it was unclear what led to the altercation. The FWPD said detectives interviewed witnesses, collected evidence and got surveillance footage from the coffee shop. Once their investigation was complete, they said, the case will be reviewed by the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office.
Tonda Grayson wrote on Facebook last week that police had not released an incident report or told the family about what happened, and said that “we need help” and “my mom was murdered and they’re trying to say that she was the aggressor,” adding that her mother “had a bad heart.”
After she obtained the surveillance video and posted it on multiple social media platforms on Monday, Grayson wrote, “let it be known how my family has been wronged my mother was a 75-year-old senior citizen and they attacked her,” concluding, “video Don’t lie.”
The video quickly went viral and has prompted many in Fort Wayne and beyond to call for the firing and arrest of the auburn-haired employee in the video who engaged in the beat-down. They said her actions caught on video were probable cause for an immediate arrest on assault charges, if not for manslaughter or murder, and faulted police for failing to do so.
“At first, I thought the woman died from a heart attack suffered when she got worked up over an order that was incorrect,” wrote Lori Leonard. “I truly thought the daughter was out of line saying her mother was murdered or killed. Then I saw the video. There is NO excuse for what happened to Anita Grayson – NONE! Honestly, this is giving me Ahmaud Arbery vibes…”
Police Release New Video and Push Back on ‘False Narrative’
On Tuesday the Fort Wayne police issued an updated statement about their investigation of Grayson’s death, now complete, and released new, clearer video of the incident.
The police department said they “initially released limited information about this case out of respect for Ms. Grayson’s family and in an effort to avoid causing additional distress following the tragic loss of a loved one. However, a dangerously false narrative, along with poor-quality video circulating publicly, has led to significant public concern and misinformation. For that reason, and because it is in the public interest, FWPD is releasing the facts of the case along with a clear and complete video of the events that occurred inside Tim Hortons.”
The police statement continued:
These are the facts:
At approximately 8:09 a.m., Ms. Grayson entered Tim Hortons to address an issue with an order she had received through the drive-thru. Once inside, Ms. Grayson began berating a 17-year-old female employee. A 20-year-old shift lead then stepped between Ms. Grayson and the juvenile employee and repeatedly told Ms. Grayson to leave the business. Ms. Grayson then appeared to move around the shift lead toward the juvenile employee. The shift lead placed her hands against Ms. Grayson in an apparent effort to prevent her from reaching the juvenile employee. Ms. Grayson then forcefully shoved the shift lead backward. At 8:12 a.m. Ms. Grayson then struck the shift lead on the left side of the nose with her right hand. At that point, the shift lead reacted and moved toward Ms. Grayson while swinging her arms in an attempt to strike her.
During the physical altercation, Ms. Grayson grabbed the shift lead’s face, leaving scratches and knocking off her glasses. Ms. Grayson then grabbed the shift lead by the hair and pulled her to the ground and rolled on top of her. The shift lead can be seen swatting at Grayson’s arm as she is being held by her hair. Two Tim Hortons employees moved in and attempted to separate them but struggled to get the shift lead’s hair out of Grayson’s hand. During the struggle, Ms. Grayson pulled a chunk of hair from the shift lead’s head, leaving a raw area on the top of her head.
The parties eventually separated. The shift lead’s hair can be seen falling from Ms. Grayson’s hand onto the floor. The employees retreated behind the counter, and Ms. Grayson sat down at a table and began speaking on her cellphone. At one point, Ms. Grayson picked up the shift lead’s hair from the floor and placed it into her bag.
At 8:22 a.m. Ms. Grayson laid down on the floor. The shift lead noticed and went to check on her, bringing her a cup of water. An additional employee also checked on Ms. Grayson as she laid on the floor. A FWPD officer then arrived and found Ms. Grayson unresponsive. Medics arrived and began life-saving measures. Ms. Grayson was transported from the scene and was later pronounced deceased by medical personnel.
Coroner Says Cause of Death Still Pending
Meanwhile, a report released by the Allen County Coroner’s Office Tuesday said Grayson’s cause and manner of death were both still pending, but the autopsy findings noted “no significant contributory injuries,” according to a release. The situation was described by the coroner’s office as a “verbal and physical altercation” that the woman was involved in shortly before her death.
Tonda Grayson reacted to the police video on Tuesday, calling it misleadingly edited to “make it seem like my mama was at fault.” She said even if her mother “was yelling and screaming about an order,” the employees “should have called police and escorted her out of there.” Instead, she said, “They jumped on her. …We got to stand up for lives being taken for no reason.”
Reaction to the police video online was mixed. Some people commented that Anita Grayson provoked the Hortons employees by screaming at them and slapping one in the face. Others noted that the employee put her hands on Grayson first, instead of deescalating the situation.
“this gonna be a tough case for all parties involved,” observed @CikCoko00 after viewing the police video. “hands everywhere shoving punching lord only knows what was being said you know it wasnt anything sweet.. the lets calm down hand gesture before it got real might save the employee from any charges. sad world we live in a 75 year old vs a 17 year old this is mike tyson jake paul pt 2.”
Numerous online commenters have identified a red-haired woman by name as the aggressive shift lead employee and posted images from her social media accounts, which they alleged have since been closed. Neither police nor local or national Tim Hortons representatives have confirmed that woman is the employee who fought with Grayson in the store video.
Tim Hortons Responds as Protest Is Planned
Tim Hortons corporate media relations issued this statement on Monday:
We were deeply saddened to learn about this incident and our heartfelt condolences go out to the loved ones of Anita Grayson.
The health and safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority and the local franchisee is cooperating fully with the police’s investigation. As the investigation is ongoing, we have no further comment.”
A newly posted sign on the South Bend Tim Horton’s franchise café door on Monday indicated the building was closed and that customers could only be served in the drive-thru, WANE reported.
Tonda Grayson and others have posted a flyer online promoting a protest rally seeking justice for Anita Grayson at the Allen County Courthouse at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.