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Read Full BioA Georgia woman playing gaming machines allegedly chased a worker with a fire extinguisher and then shot her after she refused to pay out winnings in cash.
Laquanda Fluellen was playing gaming machines at the Friendly Food Store in Warner Robins, Georgia, on Monday morning. Warner Robins city clerk Mandy Stella said that Fluellen “became agitated and began yelling” when the 32-year-old store clerk refused to pay her in cash.
Local news outlet Macon reported that Fluellen then chased her with a fire extinguisher before the worker took it out of her hand. The 39-year-old then allegedly took out a gun and shot the store clerk in the hand “during a struggle over the weapon.”
Fluellen fled the store and was arrested about 100 feet away. Meanwhile, the clerk was taken to a local hospital and is in stable condition.
Earlier this year, three men were arrested in Georgia for operating a gaming machine that paid out cash. Under Georgia law, coin-operated amusement machines are legal only if players receive store credit, lottery tickets, or merchandise as prizes. Payouts in cash are illegal.
Slot Machine Disputes Lead to Shootings
A similar incident occurred in a Georgia convenience store in August when a 42-year-old man was shot in the neck outside a convenience store in Albany.
Investigators say two men were inside the store when they got into an argument and a physical fight over a slot machine. The suspect, identified as 66-year-old Marcus Newberry, walked out of the store, followed shortly after by the victim. Police say Newberry then shot the victim in the neck outside the storefront.
Albany Police Chief Michael Persley said he believes these kinds of incidents are opportunities for people to do better. He stated, “Call me naive, but I’m an optimist about things because I know we have to continue to keep working on something that’s better.”
“Am I realistic that some people just don’t want better, they just like things the way they are? I am. But that doesn’t determine, or that doesn’t define who we are as a community.”
Georgia Considers Relaxing Gambling Laws
With gambling for cash strictly prohibited in Georgia, the state is considering relaxing its laws. A Georgia Senate tourism committee has recommended legalizing online sports betting as a way to boost the state’s economy.
The recommendation appeared in the official Final Report of the Senate Study Committee on Making Georgia the No. 1 State for Tourism.
Lawmakers have proposed legalizing sports betting in Georgia for the last seven consecutive legislative sessions, but all efforts have thus far failed.
Donald Trump Jr. joined the calls for relaxing the state’s gambling laws earlier this year. Trump Jr. said it was “crazy” that residents in Georgia, along with Alabama, could not wager on sports.
Critics argue that the two shootings at convenience stores are proof that gambling leads to increased crime rates. Proponents of legalization would argue that the incident on Monday was sparked by overregulation of gambling and could have been prevented if the store clerk had been able to pay the customer out in cash.
