James A. Whitley died after attempting to rescue Virginia M. Sanders from assault, Decatur, Georgia, October 12, 1991. Miss Sanders, 23, was sitting in the driver’s seat of her automobile, which was parked in front of a supermarket, when a man armed with a loaded handgun approached and ordered her to get out of the car. The man grabbed her and pulled her from the car, then shoved her head against it and pushed her to the ground, firing his gun during the assault. The assailant then entered the car, during which time Miss Sanders sought refuge behind one of the columns at the front of the store. A supermarket employee, Whitley, 19, high school student, had been sitting inside his vehicle, which was parked nearby. He exited the vehicle and was running toward the scene when the assailant shot him twice. The assailant then fled but was later apprehended. Miss Sanders was treated at the scene for bruises and abrasions, and she recovered. Whitley’s wounds were fatal.
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