A father of two children was injured when a Dunkin’ Donuts employee in Clearwater, Florida, allegedly shot him on Monday night, March 6.
Clearwater Police Department officers arrested 22-year-old Abdul Shakur Shaheed, a Dunkin’ Donuts employee, after he allegedly shot the customer outside the business.
Reportedly, the employee got into a heated argument with Jewitt Steele, 38, who had just left the store after buying ice cream for his two small children and girlfriend.
The victim’s girlfriend called police to the Dunkin’ Donuts shortly after 6 p.m. on Monday, saying that Steele had been shot. In the call, she can be heard comforting his two children, telling them that their father would be fine.
According to witnesses, Steele and his family exited the store through the front door, while the suspect exited through the back door. Shaheed approached Steele in the parking lot and confronted him about something, resulting in an argument.
Speaking about the incident, Police Chief Daniel Slaughter told reporters that the two were strangers as far as the cops knew, and police were still trying to piece together what happened in the parking lot.
According to Chief Slaughter, witnesses say the employee pulled out a gun and opened fire. He shot at the victim three times, striking him twice in the legs, once on his upper right thigh and once on his left knee. Officers responded to the parking lot and rushed Steele to the Bayfront Health Center, where he was treated for his gunshot wounds.
Shaheed was apprehended in a nearby parking lot with the weapon still on him. According to Chief Slaughter, the suspect appears to have purchased the gun legally.
Shaheed was charged with concealing a firearm and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
