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An elementary school teacher from North Carolina has been accused of using a racial slur and physically assaulting another woman at a Sam’s Club, reportedly over two rotisserie chickens. The altercation led to charges being filed against the teacher.
Ashley Murff, 42, has been charged with third-degree assault and battery. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department identified her as the “primary aggressor” in the incident, which occurred on Valentine’s Day.
According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, authorities responded to a reported assault at a Sam’s Club in South Carolina around 1:30 p.m. on February 14.
The victim reported to investigators that she was in line at the store when Murff allegedly directed a racial slur at her. A verbal altercation ensued, and as the victim attempted to photograph Murff, she claimed Murff struck her in the face.
As reported by WACH, the confrontation reportedly began when the victim attempted to take two rotisserie chickens, sparking the subsequent conflict.
Murff fled the scene by the time deputies arrived, but investigators were able to identify her through store surveillance footage and issue a warrant for her arrest after determining she was “the primary aggressor” in the exchange. The elementary school teacher was taken into custody at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 18.
Although the victim was not identified by authorities, her friend T’Nae Parker said the victim had offered to pick up an extra chicken for an elderly woman who was unable to stand in the line herself.
“My friend offered to just get a chicken for her,” Parker told WACH. “People are allowed to do that. You’re allowed to get more than one chicken.”
The dispute broke out, according to Parker, after Murff allegedly called her friend “the N-word” twice, before punching her.
“She’s shaken up, physically, you know, she was punched in the face. She’s had headaches,” Parker explained of the lasting effects on the victim. “And also, just the mental toll of it, it’s just unbelievable.”
Murff has been a teacher with North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district since 2015 and was teaching at Winget Park Elementary at the time of the incident, according to records provided to Oxygen.
She’s been suspended with pay from her teaching post as the investigation continues.
It’s unclear whether Murff has retained an attorney. As of Feb. 18, she was being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center while awaiting a bond hearing, the sheriff’s department said.