Atlanta Police say they have arrested a 36-year-old man suspected of shooting two downtown Subway sandwich workers, killing one and wounding the other. The incident allegedly occurred over an argument about the amount of mayonnaise put on a sandwich.
The shooting happened about 6:30 p.m. on June 26 at the Subway shop at 74 Northside Drive, next to a Circle K convenience store. The site is just two blocks south of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
A 26-year-old woman who worked at Subway was killed. A 24-year-old woman and also a Subway employee was shot and is in critical condition, according to police. The wounded woman’s 5-year-old child was in the restaurant when the shooting occurred, according to police. The victim’s names have not been released.
Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said at a June 27 press conference the suspect, an Atlanta man, was arrested last night. The arrest was made without incident near the Subway shop, he said. The suspect’s name is not being released as the investigation continues.
“This was a very tragic situation that did not have to occur,” Hampton said. “What we know is that the suspect came inside the restaurant, ordered a sandwich and there was something wrong with the sandwich that made him so upset that he decided to take out his anger on two of the employees here.”
Hampton said the “senseless” incident occurred when an armed person decided to resolve a conflict with violence rather than walking away or ordering another sandwich. The child who witnessed the shooting is also traumatized, Hampton said. The act of violence not only resulted in the fatal shooting of one woman and injuring another, but will have “residual effects” on all families affected by the shooting, he said.
The argument was over the amount of mayonnaise on a sandwich, Hampton said in response to a reporter’s question, but the focus should be on the gun violence.
“So yes, it’s [about] a sandwich,” he said. “It frustrates me that we had an individual with a firearm, who decided that … was the answer to resolve a conflict over a sandwich.
“And now we have families who are devastated, and even his family,” Hampton said.