Kevin Tyrell Davis was identified by Prince George’s County police as the 28-year-old man who was stabbed to death after a dispute ignited in a line for a Popeyes’ chicken sandwich in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
A police spokeswoman said that the argument erupted because “somebody cut in front of the other” in line for the popular chicken sandwiches inside the restaurant. The altercation spilled outside, at which point the victim was fatally stabbed. The suspect is at large. A memorial for Kevin Davis grew at the scene. Davis was known as K.D. “R.I.P Kd gonna miss you! Can’t believe your (sic) gone,” wrote one woman on Facebook. “Smh this is insane man…Praying for my City!!!! Wow ??? RIP,” wrote another person who knew Davis.
There is a GoFundMe page set up to help Davis’s family with funeral expenses. “KD was the light and heart of his family and friends, with a smile as bright as the sun,” the page reads. “At any moment, he would have anyone laughing with his numerous jokes. He thoroughly enjoyed life and lived every day to its fullest. He truly lived his ‘best life!’ He enjoyed creating music and the company of his community. KD will be dearly missed by all those who had the honor of knowing him.”
Police also released photos of a suspect they are seeking in the attack that killed Davis. “Prince George’s County Police Homicide Unit detectives are asking for the community’s assistance in identifying the man wanted for fatally stabbing 28-year-old Kevin Tyrell Davis of Oxon Hill outside of a local restaurant,” police wrote in a statement. “In addition to the suspect’s photo, we are also releasing the picture of the woman who he was with in the business. Detectives would like to speak with her.” Here’s a photo of the suspect:
Police are also seeking this person of interest:
A photo of both suspect and person of interest:
The chicken sandwich has been sought after since the chain stopped selling it in August 2019, bringing it back on Sunday, November 3, 2019. There were fights and arguments reported around the country. You can see an argument video from a different location later in this article, but be aware that it has graphic and disturbing language.
Here’s what you need to know:
Kevin Davis Was Discovered by Police in a Parking Lot Suffering From a Single Stab Wound
People filled Davis’s Instagram page with tributes. “Rip my dude u will b missed,” wrote one. His profile calls him KD and says, “My heart , My soul, my everything ,my plan ,my escape from all my sins ,my right path ,my role model ,my peace of mind , my lil big brova.” Posts on Instagram revealed that Davis had recently lost a brother.
“My Condolences to KD Family & Friends and the whole OXON HILL (Southlawn) area,” wrote another person on Facebook.
Police released additional details of the attack.
On November 4th, at approximately 7:00 pm, “patrol officers were called to a fast food restaurant in the 6200 block of Livingston Road for the report of a fight,” police stated. “They discovered Davis outside in the parking lot suffering from a single stab wound. The officers grabbed their department-issued trauma kits and provided emergency medical care until an ambulance rushed him to an area hospital. He died a short time later.”
The preliminary investigation reveals the suspect and victim “got into a brief verbal argument after the victim cut in front of several customers waiting to order food. They both then got out of the line, walked out of the front door together and the suspect immediately stabbed Davis. The suspect and the female who he was with then fled the parking lot,” police say.
“If anyone has information relevant to this investigation, they are asked to please call detectives 301-772-4925. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com, or use the ‘P3 Tips’ mobile app (search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto your mobile device.)”
Police Media Relations Director Jennifer Donelan said in a November 4, 2019 press conference that the case was a “homicide.”
“When we lose a life in our county, it is devastating,” she said. “But today’s details…it’s just hard to put into words what happened here.”
At 7 p.m., police received a call for a stabbing at the Popeyes location in Oxon Hill. “There was an argument that began inside the restaurant behind me,” she said, “between two adult males. That argument spilled out into the street. And one male stabbed the other. The victim, a 28 year old man from our area, was rushed to a local hospital.”
Police Confirmed That Davis’s Death Had a Link to the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Craze
Officers tried to save the victim’s life at the scene, but he died at the hospital about 51 minutes later, said Donelan.
Police have determined that preliminarily the death is “related to the release of the sandwich here at this restaurant. This individual was in line, a line specifically for the sale of the sandwich when another customer and he got into an altercation and that ended with the victim being stabbed outside of the business,” she said.
Many people were in the store at the time, and Donelan is asking for eyewitnesses. “We’re looking for a male, and that male knows who he is, and he knows what he did here tonight,” she said. She urged the suspect, who remains unidentified, to turn himself in.
Donelan called the man who died an “innocent victim.” She said she had not herself spoken to anyone from Popeyes. “Somebody cut in front of the other… For that type of anger to develop into this type of violence is a very sad and tragic day,” she said.
The news broke on the evening of November 4, 2019. The restaurant is located at 6247 Livingston Rd. in Maryland, WJLA-TV reported. Oxon Hill, Maryland is a suburb of Washington DC. It’s an unincorporated area located in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Tensions Were Running High at Multiple Popeyes’ Restaurants Before the Stabbing Death Occurred
Before news of the stabbing death broke, the New York Daily News reported that multiple reports had flooded social media about angry customers and fights as the chicken sandwich hype continued. The video above shows a man at another Popeyes’ location swearing and yelling at employees. That man, in Harlem, was upset that employees weren’t getting his sandwich fast enough, Daily News reported. “Bring me sandwiches out, man,” the man yells in the video. The language is graphic and disturbing.
“I’m so sick of this Popeye’s hype…simmer down people…it’s a freaking sandwich,” wrote one woman on Twitter.
This post is being updated as more information is learned about the chicken stabbing death.