A Wendy’s manager has been taken into custody following allegations of shooting a customer during a disagreement over a chicken order.

Identified as Terrence R. Phillips, he faces charges of first-degree felony assault, armed criminal action, and illegal weapon use, as detailed in a statement released by the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office in Missouri.

Court documents reveal that Phillips has entered a plea of not guilty. Currently, he remains in the Clay County Jail with a bond set at $1 million.

The incident occurred on March 20, when a verbal altercation erupted between Phillips and a customer at the fast-food chain’s drive-through, resulting in the customer sustaining a gunshot wound, as per a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Oxygen.

Speaking from his hospital bed, the customer recounted to Kansas City police that the conflict originated at the drive-through intercom, where he was instructed to advance to the pickup window. Upon questioning the reason, he reportedly received a curt response, which persisted when he collected his meal.

According to the authorities, after retrieving his order and spilling his drinks, the customer circled back to voice his displeasure but was ignored by the employee. The document states that the customer then drove around the building and encountered the employee, who purportedly discharged a firearm, hitting the customer in his vehicle. Following the shooting, the victim managed to drive to a nearby home, where an individual called emergency services.

Surveillance video cited in the probable cause doc allegedly showed Phillips exiting the restaurant, then re-entering with what appears to be a black handgun in his left pocket. 

Phillips, who identified himself to police as the store manager, said when it’s late at night, he asks customers to pull forward because the chicken must be freshly cooked, a request with which the customer had an “issue.” When Phillips handed over the order, he told police, the men “exchanged words.” 

According to Phillips, while taking another order, the customer pulled up and shouted racial slurs at him. Phillips claimed in the doc that when he exited the store after noticing the hatch of his car was open, the man drove up to him. Phillips said he told the driver to  “get the f—on” and left the area. 

A single shell casing was found in the parking lot, police wrote in the doc, and a handgun was found in the store’s walk-in freezer. When police checked the serial number of the firearm, they noted it had been stolen from the Norfolk Police Department. 

If Phillips is convicted on all charges—and sentenced to the maximum terms— he could potentially spend 60 years in prison. Phillips will next appear in court for a bond review hearing on March 31. 

A spokesperson from Wendy’s called the incident “totally unacceptable” in a statement to Oxygen.

“The safety of our team members and customers is our highest priority,” said the spokesperson. “The employee is no longer working at Wendy’s. Our thoughts are with the victim and their family. The incident is currently under active investigation by law enforcement, and the franchise organization is fully cooperating with authorities.”

A spokesperson from the public defender’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.