Dollar General Manager and Mom of 3 Fatally Shot Over $1.58 Purchase

A Georgia Dollar General manager and mother of three was shot and killed during what authorities say began as a customer buying a pack of hamburger buns.

Alexis Hill, 44, was working at a Dollar General store on Victory Drive in Columbus on Tuesday morning, June 23, when a customer came to the register with buns that cost $1.58, according to local reports citing officials.

The customer, identified by authorities as 33-year-old Jerome Willis, allegedly handed Hill two crumpled $1 bills to pay for the purchase. As Hill straightened out the cash, Willis reportedly stepped to the side, pulled out a gun and shot her.

Hill was shot shortly after 10 a.m. Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan pronounced her dead at about 10:45 a.m., according to WTVM.

Authorities said Willis fled the store after the shooting.

About an hour later, Columbus police officers located him in a parking lot. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, officers gave Willis verbal commands, but he did not comply.

Police then released a K-9 to apprehend him. The GBI said Willis fired at the police dog and pointed his weapon toward officers. Police returned fire and struck Willis multiple times.

Willis was pronounced dead at the scene.

One Columbus police officer and the K-9 were also shot during the confrontation. Both suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to officials.

Hill’s family said she and Willis did not know each other, according to WKRC.

In the days after her death, Hill’s loved ones remembered her as a hardworking mother, grandmother and friend whose life was taken in a senseless act of violence.

A friend told WTVM that Hill was “sweet” and “positive” and said she was the godmother of her child.

“She’d make you laugh,” the friend said. “She loved that job, and she worked her entire butt off for that job.”

Hill’s brother, Jonathan, said the family is devastated.

“She can’t be replaced,” he said, according to WKRC. “It’s a loss that I’m going to have to deal with, and the family is going to have to deal with.”

Hill is survived by her three children and two grandchildren, according to a GoFundMe created by Jonathan to help with funeral expenses.

“She was a beloved sister, mother, grandmother, and member of our family whose sudden tragic passing has left us heartbroken,” he wrote. “Our family is devastated. Alexis touched many lives with her kindness, generosity and spirit, and we want to come together to celebrate her life and support her estate during this difficult time.”

The shooting remains under investigation.