The South Carolina woman killed in a Kroger parking lot was shot after she “spit at” the suspect during an argument “over who had the right-of-way,” the local police chief said, citing witnesses.
Witnesses told Irmo, South Carolina, authorities that 26-year-old Alexandria Cress Borys was shot and killed around 4 p.m. on February 14 after she and the alleged shooter, a stranger named 23-year-old Christina Harrison, argued “over who had the right-of-way” in the parking lot of a local Kroger supermarket, Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dale said.
Borys was on foot and loading groceries into her car when she and Harrison, who was driving a vehicle, “exchanged some words,” Dale said on Tuesday.
“According to witnesses, the two exchanged some words and that’s around the time Borys spit at Harrison,” Dale wrote in an email. “Borys turned away and was simultaneously shot by Harrison.”
Harrison shot Borys one time in the back of the head, Dale said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Harrison fled the scene in her white Ford vehicle but turned herself in to authorities around 5:30 p.m. that day.
Harrison was charged with murder, unlawfully carrying a pistol and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. She has no known criminal history, Dale said.
“Unfortunately, this is a situation where tempers flared, and someone let anger get the best of them. One rash decision has impacted the lives of two families and countless others who witnessed this tragic event.” Dale said in a statement shortly after the shooting. “Senseless is the only word I can think of to describe what happened today.”
Borys was with young children at the time of the shooting, though it was not clear if the children were hers or a relative’s.
A Kroger spokesperson said that the store “provided video to help the Irmo Police Department in their investigation.”
“This was a senseless tragedy,” the spokesperson said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of the victim.”
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