Dollar General Manager Fatally Shot Over $1.58 Purchase, Suspect Later Killed by Police

COLUMBUS, Georgia — A Georgia community is mourning the loss of a Dollar General manager who police say was fatally shot while ringing up a $1.58 purchase, in what authorities describe as a senseless act of violence.

Police identified the victim as Alexis Hill, 44, a mother of three and grandmother of two who managed a Dollar General store in Columbus.

According to investigators, the shooting happened around 10 a.m. Tuesday as Hill was checking out 33-year-old Jerome Marquis Willis, who was purchasing a package of hamburger buns totaling $1.58.

Authorities allege Willis handed Hill two crumpled one-dollar bills. As Hill began straightening the cash before placing it in the register, Willis allegedly pulled out a handgun and shot her. She was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Family members said Hill and Willis did not know one another.

Friends and loved ones remembered Hill as a hardworking woman who loved her job and always brought joy to those around her.

“She’d make you laugh. She loved that job, and she worked her entire butt off for that job,” one friend told local media.

Hill’s family has also launched a fundraiser to help cover expenses and celebrate her life, describing her as a woman whose kindness and generosity touched countless people.

Following the shooting, Willis fled the area. Columbus police later located him in a nearby parking lot and ordered him to surrender.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Willis ignored repeated commands. Officers then deployed a police K-9, which authorities say Willis shot at before opening fire toward officers.

Multiple Columbus Police officers returned fire, striking Willis multiple times. He died at the scene.

One officer was transported to a hospital and later released. Havoc, the police K-9, underwent emergency surgery after being shot and has since returned home to continue recovering.

“Without question, his actions helped protect the officers beside him,” the Columbus Police Department said of Havoc.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting, while local authorities continue investigating the fatal shooting of Hill.