Inset: Jamaal Jenkins. Background: The Chick-fil-A in Snellville. Georgia, where Jenkins allegedly shot a fellow customer (WSB/YouTube).
A customer at a Georgia Chick-fil-A shot a man in the chest after telling him he smelled like cigarette smoke and hurling insults at him as they stood in line, cops say.
Jamaal Jenkins, 44, is facing charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a commission of a crime, and reckless conduct, per court records.
The shooting occurred on April 7 at the Chick-fil-A on the 1500 block of Scenic Highway in Snellville, an Atlanta suburb. Jenkins stood before a Gwinnett County judge on Wednesday to determine if there was enough evidence to bind the case over to a higher court.
According to a courtroom report from local ABC affiliate WSB, a Snellville Police detective testified that Jenkins and the victim did not know each other before the incident. The two men were standing in line when Jenkins began calling the victim names and racial slurs, cops said.
“He initiated the conversation with him by telling him that he smelled like cigarette smoke,” Snellville Police Detective Victor Martinez Martinez said. “The defendant called the victim a weirdo. He also called him a c—r.”
The victim allegedly punched Jenkins in the face. That’s when Jenkins pulled out a Glock 42 and fired three shots, hitting the victim once in the chest, Martinez testified, per WSB.
Jenkins was allegedly not done.
“The defendant chased the victim and attempted to continue shooting until his handgun malfunctioned,” Martinez reportedly testified.
Martinez noted that the victim likely would have died if Jenkins had kept firing the gun.
Jenkins’ attorney is saying her client was defending himself because the victim threw a punch. Her client has no prior felony convictions.
According to WSB, prosecutors deemed Jenkins a danger to the community due to his alleged choice to open fire at a crowded restaurant.
The judge reportedly bound the case over to the Superior Court. His next court date is not listed. He remains in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond.
