A young mom was shot and killed in front of her young children following a fight with another woman on Valentine’s Day outside a grocery store in South Carolina. Alexandria Cress Borys, 26, was shopping at a Kroger in Irmo, South Carolina on Tuesday when she got into a verbal spat with another woman who was a complete stranger in the parking lot.
The argument abruptly ended by the stranger woman, identified as Christina Harrison, 23, suddenly took out a gun and shot dead Borys, leaving her dead. Harrison immediately fled the scene but later turned herself in, police said. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
Argument Gone Wrong
Borys’ husband Tyler, told WIS-TV that his wife had been shopping at a Kroger in Irmo, South Carolina on Tuesday when she got into a verbal altercation with a complete stranger while loading goods into her car in the parking lot.
Irmo Police said that the argument started at around 4 pm and then it stopped abruptly. However, the stranger, later identified by police as 23-year-old Christina Harrison, drew a revolver and shot Borys in the back.
Tyler Borys told WACH that his wife was gunned down while their two-year-old and an infant were in the car. Alexandria Cress Borys was pronounced dead immediately after officers arrived at the scene, according to the Irmo Police Department.
Investigators found out after talking to witnesses that Harrison and Borys engaged in some form of argument.
Harrison fled the scene in a white Ford but later surrendered at around 5:30 pm, according to police.
She was arrested and booked at the Lexington County Detention Center on charges of murder and other crimes involving weapons. According to The Lexington County Bond Court, Harrison was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, but her private attorney waived the hearing.
“Unfortunately, this is a situation where tempers flared, and someone let anger get the best of them. One rash decision has impacted the lives of two families and countless others who witnessed this tragic event.” Chief Bobby Dale said in a statement. “Senseless is the only word I can think of to describe what happened today.”
Family Devastated
Tyler said that his wife, a stylist and nursing student, was shopping at the Krogers while Harrison shot Borys while their two-year-old and infant were in the car. He added that Borys had “built a really solid support system” while attending cosmetology school and that she was the “best wife you could ever ask for.”
Borys has reportedly also worked as a babysitter since 2021, according to her Facebook page.
The tragedy, according to the distraught spouse, happened barely one week after the passing of Borys’ brother.
“From what I have pieced together, they had either concluded the argument or Alex was walking away. It’s indicating she was shot with her back turned,” he told WIS News.
Since then, the bereaved family has established a GoFundMe campaign for a memorial in Bory’s honor, which as of Saturday afternoon had amassed more than $13,000. The shooting has shaken the small hamlet of Irmo, where many claim that the Kroger was the center of the community’s retail activity.
“That shopping center is our go-to shopping center so this whole dynamic is a ripple effect in this entire community,” local resident Shawne Edwards told WACH.
