Inset: A vehicle connected to the shooting at the Florida McDonald’s where a father and his 11-year-old daughter were wounded (WPLG/YouTube). Background: The McDonald’s in Hallandale Beach, Fla., where the father and child were shot (WFOR/YouTube).
A father and his 11-year-old daughter were injured in a daytime shooting at a Florida McDonald’s after police say they were caught in the middle of an ambush tied to a dispute involving a restaurant employee.
“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 addressing the weekend shooting.
Police said the father and daughter were sitting in their car at the McDonald’s around 1:30 p.m. Saturday while the child’s mother was inside picking up food when shots suddenly erupted.
“Our preliminary investigation indicates an altercation between multiple individuals escalated into an exchange of gunfire,” the Hallandale Beach Police Department said in a Facebook statement. “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.”
Jones said investigators believe at least one person connected to the confrontation worked at the McDonald’s. “We do believe that one of the parties involved was a McDonald’s employee,” she told reporters. Authorities have not said whether that employee was believed to be a target or one of the shooters.
The shooting appeared to have been planned, according to Jones. “People appeared to be waiting,” she said. Police said the suspects left the scene before officers arrived, and the department noted in its Facebook post that “Detectives are actively working to identify and apprehend everyone responsible.”
After hearing the gunfire, the girl’s mother rushed back outside to check on her family, Jones said, adding that she “ran back outside looking to see if her family was involved” as the incident unfolded.
“[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 were reviewing security footage as cops continued to follow up on leads and pursue “every avenue” to identify and apprehend those responsible, according to Jones.
