One by one, they said their final goodbyes as they walked by her casket, adorned with light purple flowers. The slideshow of pictures captured the happier moments in the life of Laquitta Willis, like family trips and holidays.
Monday’s funeral for the 41-year-old woman was a private ceremony for those closest to Willis. But the live-stream video showed an emotional gathering for the DeKalb County grocery store cashier who was killed a week earlier during an argument over wearing a face mask.
While her loved ones said goodbye, the man accused of killing Willis remained in the DeKalb jail, where he was being held without bond.
Victor Lee Tucker Jr., 30, of Palmetto, initially left the Big Bear Supermarket on June 14 without making a purchase, but he returned a short time later with a gun, according to investigators. After Tucker shot Willis, he then got into a shootout with a reserve deputy working security at the store, police said. The deputy, 54-year-old Danny Jordan, was shot twice but survived.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Tucker was quickly identified as the murder suspect, but he was in the hospital being treated for gunshot wounds until Friday, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said. He has been charged with malice murder and two counts of aggravated assault and was being held without bond, jail records show.
Willis had worked at the Candler Road store for more than 10 years. Customers and former colleagues were among those who attended a vigil for her last week, while others posted tributes on the funeral home’s website.
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
“I’m still in shock,” one woman posted. “She was so sweet and loving and a hard worker. She will be truly missed. Big Bear will never be the same.”
Despite his own injuries, Jordan attended the vigil after he was released from the hospital.
“She’s a sweet, sweet woman,” Jordan told Channel 2 Action News. “People can call me crazy, but I think the good still outweighs the bad. I think there’s a lot more good people out here that are really sick and tired of what’s going on.
“At some point, we’ve got to quit accepting violence. We cannot keep accepting this.”
The funeral for Willis was live-streamed. However, the audio for the service was unavailable due to a technical issue, according to Gregory B. Levett and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral home planned to re-air the service with the audio.
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