Baltimore family remembers Willie Tate, security guard killed in shootout with suspected shoplifter
BALTIMORE -- Family and friends are remembering Willie Tate, the Giant grocery store security guard who was shot and killed on the job by an accused shoplifter last Friday in Prince George's County.
While Tate was working and living in Oxon Hill, his family is from Baltimore.
Friends and family members came together to honor the 43-year-old outside the church where he was baptized.
"We want to remember him," said Tate's cousin Kelly Dukes.
"A big part of me is gone because he wasn't just my brother, he was my best friend," said the victim's sister Earlene Tate.
Willie got just a few months ago to be closer to his wife and kids.
Police say Tate confronted a suspected shoplifter, 20-year-old Zaila Akida, trying to get her to put back stolen TV dinners on Friday afternoon. It was something Tate's wife says he would have easily bought for the suspect.
During the encounter, the woman allegedly pulled out a gun from her backpack and began shooting at the Tate, who then returned fire, according to police.
Tate was pronounced dead on the scene, while Akida died at an area hospital.
It's currently unclear how many shots were fired or how many times each person was shot.
"It's just so unreal, who goes to the supermarket with a gun? We're talking grocery shopping here." said Shaunte Tate, Willie Tate's wife. The couple just celebrated their one-year anniversary.
The day before he was killed, the two talked about where they saw each other in the future.
"And he said 'right next to you. Pushing each other in wheelchairs.'"
Willie Tate was a father and stepfather. He leaves behind eight children.
His wife said they hoped to save enough money in five years to leave their family the house they bought in Fredericksburg and open a bed and breakfast in Belize.
