News

Shooter 'was in direct violation' of company rules, restaurant owner says

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 9, 2023

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, who owns the McDonald's where a fatal shooting took place on Monday, issued a statement expressing sympathy for the victim's family and declaring that the employee now charged with second-degree murder "was in direct violation of our organization’s rules" prohibiting firearms on company property.

“Our entire restaurant team remains in shock after today’s tragic events, and our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this difficult time," Edwards and his wife, Teresa, an executive with the company, said in a statement. "We are concentrating on ensuring our people receive the support they need, and are making crisis counselors available to all employees. We continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement in their investigation and encourage the community to direct any questions to the Hendersonville Police Department.”

The city said in a news release that the McDonald's manager was intervening when the victim was making a disturbance in the restaurant. During the disturbance, the victim reached out and touched the restaurant employee, who shot the victim with a concealed handgun, police said. The shooter, identified as Sam Antwan Ivey, is charged with second-degree order.

Edwards made two points about company policy:

• The employee in question was in direct violation of our organization’s rules of conduct policy — one that he had acknowledged and signed — which prohibits firearms on company property.
• All employees go through conflict-management training as part of their onboarding, and we are looking at expanding that training even further in light of this tragedy.