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Man in custody after police say he shot, killed estranged wife outside Giant grocery store in Frederick County
A quiet Maryland community is in shock after a woman was shot and killed Saturday night right outside her job.The murder happened in the parking lot of a Giant grocery store in Urbana. The victim’s estranged husband is under arrest and in his booking photo, he's seen smiling from ear-to-ear.
FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. - Frederick County deputies have arrested a man who they say shot and killed his estranged wife outside a Giant grocery store where she worked Saturday night.
The Sheriff’s Office says the deadly incident took place in a shopping center off of Sugarloaf Parkway in Urbana.
Frederick County deputies responded to the scene around 11:11 p.m. on Jan. 6 for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies found a woman dead in the parking lot.
The victim was later identified as 33-year-old Tenisha Butler. Following an investigation, detectives determined that Butler had been shot and killed by her estranged husband, 33-year-old Frederick Owusu Sakyi.
Police say the shooting happened moments after closing Saturday night. Her co-workers saw the whole thing.
Butler and Sakyi were going through a divorce, according to detectives, and they say Butler had an active protective order filed against Sakyi, who had been accused of stalking her.
"As any law enforcement agency, it is our job to serve the protective order, or peace order, but there is no way for us to constantly monitor that person and how they go about getting a weapon," Todd Wivell with the Frederick County Sheriff's Office told FOX 5.
Deputies were able to track Sakyi down to Walkersville, Maryland following the shooting where he was arrested without incident. Upon searching his vehicle, deputies also found Sakyi was in possession of a handgun and an assault rifle — weapons he was not supposed to have due to the protective order against him.
Sakyi was then taken to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center for booking.
But the quiet community in Urbana is still in shock.
"Really friendly, really friendly lady," said Salvador Gonzalez, who worked in the same shopping center with Butler. "Our prayers to her family. It’s hard for them. It’s difficult times that they are having at the moment."
The Urbana shopping center where the Giant is located is now back open to the public. The store issued a statement to FOX 5 Sunday, saying:
"With deep sadness, we can confirm a tragic incident occurred in the parking lot of our Urbana store, 3530 Sugarloaf Parkway Frederick, MD 21704, on January 6th. A little after 11PM, after store closing, there was a shooting that resulted in the death of an associate who appears to have been targeted. Our thoughts and prayers are with our associate and their family at this very difficult time.
We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation, and the safety and well-being of our customers and associates continue to be our top priorities."