Workers escaped injury, but police said a customer was shot after a sudden fight in line.
SNELLVILLE, Ga. — What began as a normal breakfast crowd at a Snellville Chick-fil-A quickly became a crime scene Tuesday when a fight between two strangers in line ended with gunfire, police said, leaving one man injured and employees rattled.
Authorities said the shooting happened about 8:20 a.m. at the restaurant on Scenic Highway, when the dining room was packed with workers and customers. Police said the suspect was taken into custody and that there was no continuing danger to the public, but the chaos inside the busy fast-food restaurant left staff trying to make sense of a violent start to the day.
According to the Snellville Police Department, the two men involved had not known each other before Tuesday morning. Detective Jeff Manley said the dispute happened in front of the cash registers while both men were waiting to order. Manley said the victim hit the suspect during the confrontation, and the suspect responded by pulling a gun and firing several times. Police said the victim was struck once and was later listed in stable condition.
The crowded setting added to the danger. Investigators said at least 20 employees were inside, along with a number of patrons, when the shots were fired. Management later told WSB-TV that every employee made it through physically unharmed, though many were shaken. Police have not publicly identified the injured man, and they have not yet explained what started the dispute or whether surveillance video captured the full exchange from the line to the shooting.
Authorities identified the suspect as 44-year-old Jamaal Andre Jenkins. Police said Jenkins was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm in commission of a felony and reckless conduct for firing inside a crowded building. Those accusations marked the first formal step in the case, but investigators had not released a fuller narrative by Tuesday evening about how officers responded, where the suspect was detained or whether additional evidence would lead to more charges.
The business impact was immediate. Chick-fil-A said the restaurant would remain closed for the rest of Tuesday and described the safety of workers and guests as its top concern. By late Tuesday, the company said the location planned to reopen at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. That return to business, however, came as detectives continued piecing together statements from witnesses who had come in for breakfast and instead found themselves in the middle of a shooting investigation.
As of Tuesday night, police said one man was recovering, one suspect was jailed on felony-related charges and investigators were still trying to answer the central question of how a brief argument escalated so fast.
Author note: Last updated April 8, 2026.