After shooting, Kroger cuts ties with Allied Universal in Memphis
Security guard charged with murder of victim
Grocery giant Kroger announced Wednesday that in the Memphis area, it is cutting ties with security company Allied Universal. The announcement follows the Aug. 7 fatal shooting of Alvin Motley at an East Memphis Kroger gas station and the filing of a seconddegree murder charge against a security guard, Gregory Livingston.
Kroger spokesperson Teresa Dickerson said in a text message that the company is dropping Allied Universal in Memphis and nearby suburbs, an area that includes about 30 stores.
“At Kroger, nothing is more important to us than the safety of our associates and customers,” the company said in a statement.
“We expect all third-party contractors to live up to our values, which include respect and safety and diversity and inclusion. After an internal review of the tragic incident that involved a third-party security officer at our Poplar Avenue Fuel Center, we have made the decision to end our relationship with Allied Universal Security in Memphis. Our hearts are with the Motley family and we stand with them in their calls for justice.”
State records say Livingston had never completed certification as an armed security guard in Tennessee.
The question of what company Livingston was working for could become the subject of future litigation. Dickerson said Kroger records indicate Livingston was an employee of Allied Universal, a company based in Santa Ana, California, with offices throughout the United States and in countries including Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
However, a representative of Allied Universal has said Livingston worked for a subcontractor. The company hasn’t named the subcontractor.
It wasn’t clear when exactly Kroger would end its relationship with Allied Universal in Memphis, or which security company might replace it.
Dickerson said in a text message that Kroger is in the process of transitioning to a new provider and would share more information when the transition is complete. It wasn’t immediately clear if Kroger has contracts with Allied Universal in stores outside the Memphis area, nor was it clear what would happen to those contracts.
Allied Universal issued a brief statement: “We respect Kroger’s decision and remain committed to helping bring justice to this situation. Our hearts go out to Alvin Motley’s family, loved ones and friends.”
Nationally known attorney Ben Crump is representing Motley’s family and has decried the gas station shooting as another example of an unjustified shooting of a Black man. The security guard is white, and a police report says the shooting resulted from an argument over loud music. The police affidavit says surveillance video showed Motley approached the guard and was holding a beer can and a lit cigarette when he was shot.
A defense attorney for the guard, Blake Ballin, said this week that the situation goes beyond a dispute over loud music. “I know facts that go way beyond loud music being an issue,” he said. Livingston is still jailed.
Kroger’s announcement came on the same day as Motley’s funeral in the Chicago area.
Supporters of Motley’s family have called for Kroger and the security company to enter into settlement negotiations and have spoken about the possibility of boycotting the grocer. Rev. Al Sharpton spoke at the funeral Wednesday and mentioned the boycott concept again.
Investigative reporter Daniel Connolly welcomes tips and comments from the public. Reach him at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.