Family of man fatally shot by security guard over loud music outside Tennessee Kroger demands store face charges
The loved ones of a Black man, allegedly killed outside a Tennessee Kroger by a security guard, who took issue with the volume of his music, are demanding charges be brought against the store as well as the third-party security guard company that employed the accused gunman.
Gregory Livingston, who is also a former Horn Lake police officer, was charged with second-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Alvin Motley Jr.
Motley and his girlfriend, Pia Foster, were seated in a parked car listening to music at the Kroger Fuel Center, near the East Memphis and Germantown line, when they were approached by Livingston the night of Aug. 8. Following an initial argument about the noise-level, Motley walked toward the security guard, a lit cigarette and beer can in hand.
“Let’s talk like men,” he said, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.
Just moments later, Livingston shot 46-year-old Motley in the chest, prosecutors said.
Ben Crump, Motley’s attorney, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, have both demanded that Kroger be charged in the shooting. They also called on people to journey to their local Krogers and play loud music outside in protest.
“Kroger, you can’t pass the buck saying that this is an issue for the Motley family or the security company. It’s an issue for your company,” Crump said “You have a duty to provide safety and have qualified employees and contractors who won’t kill Black people over loud music.”
In wake of the shooting, Kroger opted to end its relationship with Allied Universal Security in Memphis.
“We are deeply saddened, extremely angry and horrified by this senseless violence,” a Kroger spokesperson told ABC News. “At Kroger, nothing is more important to us than the safety of our associates and customers, and our hearts are with the Motley family and we stand with them in their calls for justice.”
Livingston is currently in jail on a $1.8 million bond.
