She told me she would kill me': Employee speaks after being stabbed with scissors

A Workplace Attack in Albany

Shakisha Jones spent nine years working at the Friendship Personal Care Home in Albany, Georgia, a role she approached with the routine of a veteran employee. That changed on Friday, October 23, at approximately 5:12 p.m., when a conversation in an office turned into a violent struggle for survival. According to reporting by WALB, Jones was attacked with a pair of scissors by a resident, 60-year-old Arlene White. While police initially reported fewer injuries, Jones has since detailed the severity of the encounter, noting that she sustained three wounds to the top and back of her head, two to the side of her face, and an injury to her lip. She also lost half of a tooth and suffered a sprained hand during the altercation.

The Intervention of Residents

The situation might have ended in tragedy if not for the immediate actions of those nearby. Jones credits two residents at the facility with physically intervening to stop the assault. A third resident called the police while the others held White back, allowing Jones to escape the immediate vicinity.

“If those two individuals had not intervened, my children would have had to bury their mother,” Jones said.

Police arrived at the Oglethorpe Boulevard facility to find White leaving the building with the scissors in her possession. Officers detained her after she dropped the weapon. According to the Albany Police Department, White was charged with aggravated assault with a cutting tool and reportedly told officers she “intended to do so.”

A History of Conflict

This was not the first time Jones and White had a violent encounter. Jones stated that the same resident was charged with simple battery against her last November, an incident that involved the loss of two fingernails in the presence of police. Following that event, Jones said White was jailed and subsequently moved to a different facility, with a court order reportedly issued to keep her 100 feet away from the employee.

The return of a resident with a known history of aggression toward her has left Jones questioning the vetting and safety processes at the Friendship Personal Care Home. She expressed frustration regarding the facility’s response following the October 23 attack, noting that while she received a phone call from a supervisor the following day, she felt the support was insufficient given her nine-year tenure.

“I wouldn’t feel so bad if they had genuinely said, ‘Hey, we’re sorry this really happened to you,’” Jones said. “‘How can we help? What can we do? Do you need anything?’ I have not heard those words.”

The Mental Health Context

Charenthia Blocker, who identified herself as White’s niece, offered a different perspective on the event. She noted that White has struggled with mental health issues for decades and expressed surprise that her aunt was in Albany, as she previously believed her to be in Milledgeville. Blocker stated that she does not view her aunt as a criminal, but rather as someone whose actions were driven by her mental state. She argued that the incident might have been avoided had White remained in a structured mental health treatment environment rather than a personal care home.

“She definitely needs it because that’s what she was getting, and that’s why we never had any of these incidents,” Blocker said. The Albany Police Department has not confirmed whether mental health played a formal role in the incident, and the investigation remains ongoing. As of the latest reports, the management at Friendship Personal Care Home has declined to interview regarding the specific allegations or the facility’s internal safety measures. For Jones, the focus remains on the need for systemic change. As the legal proceedings against White move forward, the staff and residents at the facility are left to deal with the aftermath of an afternoon that transformed a place of care into a scene of violence.