Topline: Police say the employee returned wearing a mask, stabbed the manager multiple times, and was stopped by a gun-carrying customer.
Published: July 15, 2025 8:00 am ET
Must Read
Afeni Badu Muhammad (via Macomb County Jail)
EASTPOINTE, MI — A workplace argument turned deadly at a McDonald’s in Eastpointe last Thursday, when a 26-year-old employee allegedly returned after being sent home and fatally stabbed her manager in front of customers and coworkers.
According to the Eastpointe Police Department, officers were dispatched to the restaurant at 17921 9 Mile Road shortly before 8 a.m. on July 10 following a report of a stabbing and a gunshot fired. By the time officers arrived, the attacker had been detained at gunpoint by a drive-thru customer—who had fired a shot in an effort to stop the attack—and the victim had been rushed to a local hospital, where she died from her wounds.
The suspect, Afeni Badu Muhammad, was arraigned Friday in 38th District Court on charges of first-degree premeditated murder and carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
The victim was identified as Jennifer Harris, a 49-year-old mother of six from Mount Clemens who had worked at that McDonald’s location for 15 years, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Prosecutors say the confrontation began earlier that morning when Harris sent Muhammad home early during her shift. Eastpointe Detective Lieutenant Alex Holish told the Detroit Free Press that as Muhammad left, she said, “I’ll be back.”
Authorities say Muhammad returned shortly after wearing a mask, entered through the employee entrance, and stabbed Harris multiple times with a knife. A customer in the drive-thru who was legally carrying a concealed firearm witnessed the assault and fired a shot in an attempt to intervene, according to both the police department and the prosecutor’s office.
No one was struck by the bullet. The customer then followed Muhammad as she attempted to flee to her vehicle and held her at gunpoint until Eastpointe police arrived and took her into custody.
“This is an absolutely senseless and heartbreaking tragedy,” Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement. “A life was taken in an act of unimaginable violence. The victim leaves behind six children—six young lives that will now grow up without a parent. This isn’t just a statistic; this is a family shattered, a future forever altered.”
Muhammad stood mute at her arraignment, prompting the court to enter a not-guilty plea on her behalf, according to court records.
Her bond was set at $25 million, cash or surety only.
She is currently being held in the Macomb County Jail.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Fast Food Manager Sent Employee Home—Then Was Fatally Stabbed Moments Later
Police say the employee returned wearing a mask, stabbed the manager multiple times, and was stopped by a gun-carrying customer.
By Jacob Charles
Published: July 15, 2025 8:00 am ET
Afeni Badu Muhammad (via Macomb County Jail)
EASTPOINTE, MI — A workplace argument turned deadly at a McDonald’s in Eastpointe last Thursday, when a 26-year-old employee allegedly returned after being sent home and fatally stabbed her manager in front of customers and coworkers.
According to the Eastpointe Police Department, officers were dispatched to the restaurant at 17921 9 Mile Road shortly before 8 a.m. on July 10 following a report of a stabbing and a gunshot fired. By the time officers arrived, the attacker had been detained at gunpoint by a drive-thru customer—who had fired a shot in an effort to stop the attack—and the victim had been rushed to a local hospital, where she died from her wounds.
The suspect, Afeni Badu Muhammad, was arraigned Friday in 38th District Court on charges of first-degree premeditated murder and carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
The victim was identified as Jennifer Harris, a 49-year-old mother of six from Mount Clemens who had worked at that McDonald’s location for 15 years, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Prosecutors say the confrontation began earlier that morning when Harris sent Muhammad home early during her shift. Eastpointe Detective Lieutenant Alex Holish told the Detroit Free Press that as Muhammad left, she said, “I’ll be back.”
Authorities say Muhammad returned shortly after wearing a mask, entered through the employee entrance, and stabbed Harris multiple times with a knife. A customer in the drive-thru who was legally carrying a concealed firearm witnessed the assault and fired a shot in an attempt to intervene, according to both the police department and the prosecutor’s office.
No one was struck by the bullet. The customer then followed Muhammad as she attempted to flee to her vehicle and held her at gunpoint until Eastpointe police arrived and took her into custody.
“This is an absolutely senseless and heartbreaking tragedy,” Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement. “A life was taken in an act of unimaginable violence. The victim leaves behind six children—six young lives that will now grow up without a parent. This isn’t just a statistic; this is a family shattered, a future forever altered.”
Muhammad stood mute at her arraignment, prompting the court to enter a not-guilty plea on her behalf, according to court records.
Her bond was set at $25 million, cash or surety only.
She is currently being held in the Macomb County Jail.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Fast Food Manager Sent Employee Home—Then Was Fatally Stabbed Moments Later
Police say the employee returned wearing a mask, stabbed the manager multiple times, and was stopped by a gun-carrying customer.
By Jacob Charles
Published: July 15, 2025 8:00 am ET
Afeni Badu Muhammad (via Macomb County Jail)
EASTPOINTE, MI — A workplace argument turned deadly at a McDonald’s in Eastpointe last Thursday, when a 26-year-old employee allegedly returned after being sent home and fatally stabbed her manager in front of customers and coworkers.
According to the Eastpointe Police Department, officers were dispatched to the restaurant at 17921 9 Mile Road shortly before 8 a.m. on July 10 following a report of a stabbing and a gunshot fired. By the time officers arrived, the attacker had been detained at gunpoint by a drive-thru customer—who had fired a shot in an effort to stop the attack—and the victim had been rushed to a local hospital, where she died from her wounds.
The suspect, Afeni Badu Muhammad, was arraigned Friday in 38th District Court on charges of first-degree premeditated murder and carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
The victim was identified as Jennifer Harris, a 49-year-old mother of six from Mount Clemens who had worked at that McDonald’s location for 15 years, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Prosecutors say the confrontation began earlier that morning when Harris sent Muhammad home early during her shift. Eastpointe Detective Lieutenant Alex Holish told the Detroit Free Press that as Muhammad left, she said, “I’ll be back.”
Authorities say Muhammad returned shortly after wearing a mask, entered through the employee entrance, and stabbed Harris multiple times with a knife. A customer in the drive-thru who was legally carrying a concealed firearm witnessed the assault and fired a shot in an attempt to intervene, according to both the police department and the prosecutor’s office.
No one was struck by the bullet. The customer then followed Muhammad as she attempted to flee to her vehicle and held her at gunpoint until Eastpointe police arrived and took her into custody.
“This is an absolutely senseless and heartbreaking tragedy,” Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement. “A life was taken in an act of unimaginable violence. The victim leaves behind six children—six young lives that will now grow up without a parent. This isn’t just a statistic; this is a family shattered, a future forever altered.”
Muhammad stood mute at her arraignment, prompting the court to enter a not-guilty plea on her behalf, according to court records.
Her bond was set at $25 million, cash or surety only.
She is currently being held in the Macomb County Jail.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
