A Georgia nurse forgot her Hippocratic oath earlier this month. The Florence Nightingale Pledge has nurses swear to “abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous.” The caregivers must also promise to “elevate the standard” of their profession. Neither of those came into play when Lakiesha Deshawn McGhee helped herself to some lottery tickets in a convenience store as the store clerk lay dying on the floor.
Nurse Becomes Bandit
43-year-old McGhee was a patron at a Houston County lottery and video poker shop in Georgia when it was robbed last week by three armed bandits. She is now being accused of taking lottery tickets from the store just moments after the clerk was fatally wounded. McGhee was arrested for theft by taking and tampering. These charges do not relate to the robbery and deadly shooting.
Investigators believe McGhee called 911 on January 18, after Sabrina Renee Dollar was shot to death by one of the gunmen in a small office at J&J Dollar Store. This converted house is also known as Knodishall Gift Shop. Customers can buy lottery tickets and play video poker at the shop.
However, surveillance footage allegedly showed her removing lottery tickets from an office where the victim was located. McGhee also disconnected power from the building security system, which was down for a short time before law enforcement arrived and other first responders.
McGhee is alleged to have pocketed the proceeds of the sale of lottery tickets, but the statement did not mention their value.
According to local media outlet The Telegraph, McGhee seemed to have checked on the clerk before taking the tickets. This was just moments before police arrived, as explained by the police department.
Late-Night Attack
Investigators shared video footage of the standoff, which showed McGhee with another woman in close proximity to some video poker machines. The gunmen entered the area at 12:15 AM on January 18.
McGhee was wearing a pink sweatshirt and had a handful of cash in her hand. One gunman walked over to McGhee with a plastic bag in his hand. McGhee and McGhee, standing next to her, put the money in the bag.
One or two seconds later, another gunman, who was about 20 feet away from the shop, entered the office and opened fire on the clerk.
This was the second assault the shop has suffered in recent months. Last November, an armed man tried to rob the store, but was chased off by an employee with a meat cleaver.
It isn’t clear if there is a link between the two crimes, and the assailants in both cases have not been caught.