FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WRTV) — A 75-year-old woman died of congestive heart failure in the setting of a fight, the Allen County Coroner’s Office said.
In addition, the autopsy found “Acute Exacerbation of Congestive Heart Failure in Setting of Physical Altercation,” while the manner of death remained undetermined. “No Significant Contributory Injuries,” the coroner’s office said on Tuesday.
No arrests have been announced in the case.
The Fort Wayne Police Department says its officers were dispatched just before 8:10 a.m. May 13 to the Tim Hortons coffee shop at 3975 Ice Way. That’s off U.S. 27/Lima Road south of the intersection with State Road 930.
Police had received a report of an “altercation involving a reported battery.” Anita Grayson, of Fort Wayne, was unresponsive when officers arrived. Medics immediately started lifesaving measures, but Grayson later died at a hospital, police said.
Her pending obituary on Wednesday said she died May 13.
According to police, Grayson walked into the Tim Horton’s to explain an issue she had with her drive-thru order.
At some point, Grayson began “berating” a 17-year-old employee, prompting a 20-year-old shift lead to intervene.
The shift lead repeatedly asked Grayson to leave, even placing her hands on Johnson to prevent her from getting close to the teen employee.
Then a fight broke out.
“Grayson forcefully shoved the shift lead backward, then struck the shift lead on the left side of the nose with her right hand,” police said. “At that point, the shift lead reacted and moved toward Grayson while swinging her arms in an attempt to strike her.”
As the fight continued, Grayson reportedly left scratches on the shift lead’s face, knocked off her glasses, then grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the ground.
Two other employees moved in to pull Grayson off the shift lead, but struggled to get Grayson’s hand out of the shift lead’s hair. Grayson did pull a chunk of the shift lead’s hair at some point, “leaving a raw area on the top of her head.”
After separating the women, the employees returned behind the counter, and Grayson sat at a table and started talking on her phone. Police said Grayson was caught on camera picking up the shift lead’s hair and putting it in her bag.
At 8:22 a.m. May 13, Grayson moved to lie on the floor, prompting two employees — including the shift lead — to check on her. When a police officer arrived, Grayson was already unresponsive.
Fort Wayne police have said in a statement that the department understands public concern rising from this case. “FWPD initially released limited information about this case out of respect for Ms. Grayson’s family and in an effort to avoid causing additional distress following the tragic loss of a loved one. However, a dangerously false narrative, along with poor-quality video circulating publicly, has led to significant public concern and misinformation.
“(We) understand the public concern surrounding this case. We also recognize the importance of transparency, accuracy, and allowing the investigative and prosecutorial review process to proceed based on the full body of evidence, not incomplete video clips or inaccurate public narratives.”
