, Fla. — People at a popular tourist spot in Osceola County were running for their lives Wednesday night after deputies say a Checkers employee shot and killed a customer over a fast-food order.
The restaurant was still closed on Thursday as crime scene tape blocked off the drive-through. Osceola County deputies arrested Elijah Mackey, 23, on Thursday in connection with the shooting.
A Checkers fast food location next to a tourist destination now an active crime scene.
“There were a whole bunch of cops here, like, it was scary,” said Jarisa Lindsey.
It’s a crowded hot spot where Kelvin Lindsey says he picked up dinner Wednesday night at Checkers. Later, he drove by to find the entire area full of law enforcement.
“From every entrance there was more cops, and I’m sitting here like why they are here, what are they doing. Then when we got to this area this was a concentrated area where a lot of officers were at,” said Lindsey.
Osceola County deputies say an argument broke out between Mackey, an employee at Checkers, and a customer over a food order. That confrontation escalated to gunfire.
“It’s just crazy. It’s not that serious. It shouldn’t be that serious where you get into an argument, then end up taking someone’s life,” said Lindsey.
People working next to the Checkers say they heard gunshots, and everyone started running. They shut everything down for the night.
“Just thinking about it, I’d probably took off to. I don’t know where, but far, far,” said Lindsey.
Mackey was taken into custody Thursday and faces a first-degree murder charge. People we talked to say there’s growing gun violence that needs to stop.
“People gotta change. Learn how to control your emotions. It’s not that serious. A lot of things get escalated to that point because of misunderstandings,” said Lindsey.
Deputies say the victim’s name is Wesley Robertson. He died after being taken to the hospital. As for Mackey, he’s in the Osceola County Jail.
A Checkers spokesperson released the following statement to Channel 9:
“We are shocked and saddened by the incident that occurred last night at our restaurant in Kissimmee, Florida. The actions of this one employee do not reflect the values of the thousands of our hardworking employees across the country. We are working closely with the police in their investigation, and we are sending our thoughts and prayers to the guest’s family.”
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