US man stabbed to death over chicken sandwich

File picture: Pexels

Maryland - The authorities are searching for an unidentified man who they say fatally stabbed another man in an altercation while waiting for the new Popeyes chicken sandwich in Maryland on Monday night. The police are also searching for a woman who is wanted for questioning.

Kevin Tyrell Davis, 28, who had cut a line designated for customers ordering the sandwich, was confronted by another customer once he reached the counter, Chief Hank Stawinski of the Prince George’s County Police Department said at a news conference Tuesday.

An argument broke out, and seconds later Davis was stabbed once in the upper body, the police said, adding that they found a knife at the scene. The attacker and the woman fled in a car, the police said.

The violence struck a startling contrast with the excitement around the chain’s much-hyped sandwich, which has led to long lines around the country, hiccups in availability and a flurry of memes, as well as a marketing battle between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A.

The stabbing occurred in Oxon Hill, Maryland, about 9 miles south of Capitol Hill in Washington.

“The questions my detectives have to answer is how does a confrontation lead to a homicide in 15 seconds,” Stawinski said, calling the crime “pointless” and “horrible.”

Around 7 p.m., the police responded to a call of a fight between two men inside the restaurant, Jennifer Donelan, a spokeswoman for the Prince George’s County Police Department, said at a news conference Monday night. The argument spilled out onto the street, she said.

Davis was rushed to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, Donelan said.

“For you to get that angry over anything, for that type of anger to develop into this type of violence, again is a very sad and tragic day,” Donelan said. “And that person needs to turn themselves in.”

The chicken sandwich craze hit in August. The popularity of the sandwich prompted a debate on social media about whether Chick-fil-A or Popeyes had the best version of it.

However, the sandwich blitz hit a snag when Popeyes said it could no longer keep up with the demand, and the product went on hiatus.

The chain announced late last month that the sandwich would return Sunday.