Workers Shot in Separate Incidents Across Country

by Liz Carey

New York, N.Y. (WorkersCompensation.com) – A deli worker was rushed to the hospital after being shot in the stomach, one of many workers shot on the job in the past two weeks.

Officials said a 34-year-old bodega worker in the Bronx was shot on Wednesday, June 19, after he got into a verbal dispute with a customer who was making a mess. The victim followed the customer of the bodega, where the dispute continued. The suspect then went to his car, police said, where he pulled out a weapon and shot the victim in the stomach.

Police said the victim, Joseph Lewis, was driven to the hospital where he was listed in serious but critical condition. The suspect got into his vehicle and drove away, police said.

Fernando Mateo of the United Bodegas of America, said it was time for change in the city to protect workers.‘

"It is unacceptable that we have to live in fear," Mateo said at a press conference after the shooting.

Mateo and other bodega workers are calling on the city to reinstate stop-and-frisk policies and to provide more funding for cameras, panic buttons and bulletproof doors inside bodegas. Additionally, he said, he hoped bodega workers in the city would arm themselves for self-defense.

"We need to make sure, first and foremost, that our bodega owners get licensed weapons so that they can protect themselves and protect their community," he said.

In Rolla, Mo., a man was arrested after he allegedly shot a pharmacy worker.

Officials with the Rolla Police Department said they responded to a call around 10 a.m. on Tuesday for a gunshot wound following an attempted robbery. Police said the suspect, Justin Wonsewitz, 41, fled the scene with a small amount of drugs. The victim, a 52-year-old, was rushed to a hospital for treatment but was in serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

Wonsewitz was arrested and charged with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action.

In Rock Hill, S.C., one woman is dead and another is facing murder charges after a co-worker dispute

Samarian Lindsay, 39, was killed after her co-worker shot her in self-defense, officials said. Lindsay and the man argued at work, police said, and Lindsay continued the argument by following him in a car driven by 32-year-old Brittney Reed. Reed and Lindsay blocked the man  in as he was stopped in traffic.

Police said Lindsay then walked up to the man’s car with a gun. In turn, the man pulled out his own gun and shot Lindsay multiple times in the chest. Reed was arrested for punching the man in the face and bringing the gun Lindsay used in the altercation.

Reed was arrested and charged with assault and battery, as well as murder.

And in Glennville, Georgia, a kitchen worker is dead after being shot by a prison inmate they had a personal relationship with.

According to a press release on June 17, the Georgia Department of Corrections said a kitchen worker who had been shot by an inmate at Smith State Prison in Glennville, Georgia. The worker who later died was said to be in a “personal relationship” with their killer.

The prison system called the incident a stunning failure of security.

GDC said the employee, Aureon Shavea Grace, 24, was an employee of Aramark. Grace was shot by prison inmate Jaydrekus Hart.

Officials said that Grace has worked at Smith State Prison since January. Hart allegedly shot Grace in the prison’s kitchen at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, June 16. Hart then took his own life, officials said. Officials did not say how Hart obtained the firearm.

"The weapon is in GDC custody at this time, and a complete and thorough investigation of what led up to this tragic incident will be carried out," part of a statement from the Department of Corrections said.

It was the second attack on a staff member at Smith State Prison in the past year, officials said. Correctional officer Robert Clark, 42, was killed last year in October when an inmate he was escorting attacked him from behind with a weapon.

Aramark expressed its condolences over the incident.

"We are heartbroken over the loss of our colleague and our hearts and prayers go out to her family," Aramark spokesperson Debbie Albert said in an emailed statement. "This is a tragedy for all of us."

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