A father and his 11-year-old daughter suffered gunshot wounds in broad daylight at a Florida McDonald’s after an ambush involving an employee at the fast-food joint caught them in the crossfire, cops say.
“We have two innocent bystanders involved in a situation that had nothing to do with them,” Hallandale Beach Police Capt. Megan Jones told reporters during a news conference about the local weekend shooting.
The dad and his daughter were waiting in their car at the McDonald’s while the child’s mother grabbed food inside when gunshots rang out around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.
“Our preliminary investigation indicates an altercation between multiple individuals escalated,” the Hallandale Beach Police Department said on Facebook. “During the incident, innocent bystanders, including an 11-year-old girl and her father, were struck while sitting in their vehicle waiting for a food order. Both were transported to the hospital and are currently in stable condition.”
Describing the people involved in the “altercation,” Jones told reporters, “We do believe that one of the parties involved was a McDonald’s employee.” Police confirmed Monday that they arrested the worker, Ralph N-Kosi Blue III, for his involvement.
An investigation determined that the shooting stemmed from “a targeted incident that originated outside the City of Hallandale Beach” and “culminated” in the parking lot of the McDonald’s where Blue was “reporting to work,” according to a police press release. “[Blue] appears to have been the only individual who fired,” the HBPD release says.
“Detectives worked tirelessly around the clock, identified Blue III as the shooter, and, in partnership with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, took him into custody without incident,” HBPD said on Facebook Monday. “Detectives also learned that two other children, ages 2 and 5, were inside the vehicle during the shooting. Thankfully, neither child was injured.”
The others involved fled the scene before officers arrived, according to the original HBPD Facebook post.
Jones told reporters that as soon as the mother of the 11-year-old victim heard the incident unfold, she ran back outside to see if her family was involved in the shooting.
“[The mom] discovered that her husband and her child had been shot,” Jones told reporters. “I was told that the child involved was screaming, which is a good thing, and crying, which is also a good thing, because anytime you get shot in certain extremities, no response is a very bad response. So, to be able to report that she’s in stable condition at this time is a plus for us. It’s a benefit.”
Investigators reviewed security footage as cops continued to follow up on leads and pursue “every avenue” to identify and apprehend those responsible, according to Jones.
Leave a Reply