Nationwide — Anita Grayson, a 75-year-old African American woman from Fort Wayne, Indiana, died after a fight inside a Tim Hortons following a dispute over a drive-thru order. Her daughter, Tawanda Grayson, says video footage shows her mother was wronged and is now demanding answers about what happened.
On May 13, Fort Wayne Police responded to a reported battery at a Tim Hortons in Fort Wayne. Investigators said Anita Grayson went inside the store after an issue with her drive-thru order and confronted staff about the problem.
According to 11Alive, police said she began arguing with a 17-year-old employee inside the restaurant. A 20-year-old shift lead then stepped in and asked her to leave. The situation escalated when Anita shoved the worker and struck her in the face.
Security footage shows the confrontation continuing on the floor. Authorities said the shift lead suffered scratches and lost a chunk of hair during the struggle. The video also shows the worker’s hair coming away in her hand during the fight.
After the altercation, Anita Grayson walked around inside the restaurant. Employees gave her water while waiting for the police. When officers arrived, she was unresponsive. She was later transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Tawanda Grayson said she was shown a partial video of the incident and believes it does not reflect the full story. She said her mother was wronged and called for accountability from the authorities and the business involved.
“That’s an elderly lady. That’s not how we treat our senior citizens. We be careful with them. We make sure that they’re alright. We don’t jump on them and attack them. And scare them to death,” Tawanda said.
Police said the portion of the video shared publicly created a misleading narrative. Officials added that the investigation is still ongoing and Anita Grayson’s official cause of death has not been determined. The case has been turned over to the county prosecutor, who will decide if charges will be filed. Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker expressed concern for both families involved.