Inset: Ashley Murff (Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center). Background: The Sam's Club where Murff allegedly used a racial slur and punched another shopper (Google Maps).
A 42-year-old teacher from North Carolina has been arrested for allegedly attacking another woman at a South Carolina Sam's Club on Valentine's Day, calling the victim a racial slur and punching her in the face in front of several witnesses.
Ashley Murff was taken into custody this week and charged with one count of third-degree assault and battery over the alleged attack, court records show.
Murff is employed by North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District and is a teacher at Winget Park Elementary School in southwest Charlotte.
Deputies with the Richland County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina responded to a call about a possible assault taking place at the Sam's Club in the 700 block of Fashion Drive at about 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14, local CBS affiliate WBTV reported. One of the individuals involved in the fight had reportedly used a racial slur.
Upon arriving at the location, which is about 90 miles south of Charlotte, deputies spoke with the victim. The victim claimed she was waiting in line to get a rotisserie chicken when the woman behind her, later identified as Murff, called her a racial slur. Murff's alleged comment led to a verbal argument between the women.
The victim said that while the women were arguing, she tried to take a picture of Murff. At that point, the teacher allegedly punched her in the face, Greenville NBC affiliate WYFF reported. The two reportedly fought until they were separated by others.
Murff allegedly left the store before authorities arrived, but authorities identified her through surveillance footage and obtained a warrant for her arrest.
T'Nae Parker, a friend of the victim, told Columbia-based Fox affiliate WACH that her friend was in line waiting for a chicken and took an extra one for an older lady who was not able to wait in line.
"There was an elderly lady that didn't have the ability to stand in line, and my friend offered to just get a chicken for her," Parker told the station. "People are allowed to do that. You're allowed to get more than one chicken."
Murff allegedly got angry and called Parker's friend "the N-word."
"That's when she called her the racial slur," Parker continued. "She called her the racial slur twice, the N-word, and she said it twice."
Parker said the incident did not reflect well on Murff's reputation as a school teacher.
"The situation highlights why it matters what people believe in, the biases that they carry," she said. "Those beliefs don't just exist in private. They show up in classrooms."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reportedly announced that Murff has been suspended from her position with pay pending an investigation.
Murff was booked into Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center Wednesday morning. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to appear in court.
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