FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Fort Lauderdale restaurant worker who was shot at by a former employee has died, according to witnesses.
The news comes not long after, authorities said, they took the suspected shooter into custody.
“It went from zero to 100 like, instantly,” said a man.
“I ran away because I saw a flood of people, and everyone screaming and everyone just terrified,” said a woman.
There was panic inside the Shooter’s Waterfront restaurant Tuesday, after a former worker, according to police, shot a server on the patio in front of customers.
“He was working his shift; he had just begun. The ex-employee came to the business, where he got into the altercation, which I’m not sure, I don’t have the details on what the altercation was about, and then the shooting took place shortly after the argument started,” said Fort Lauderdale Police detective Ali Adamson.
“I tried to de-escalate the situation,” said a witness who did not want to show his face. “They just kept going at it. I didn’t think it would get that far. It went from a simple discussion, those guys were just going back and forth, it wasn’t event a loud argument to be honest with you guys.”
“I was in the kitchen and I saw a bunch of people running towards the door,” said Carlos Murgas.
Murgas ran to the outside bar area and saw people trying to perform CPR on his friend and coworker.
“It’s pretty bad, blood everywhere,” said Murgas. “Great guy, someone I learned a lot from my small amount of time here at Shooter’s.”
His friend, however, was shot twice and would not survive.
Immediately after the shooting, the gunman took off, leading to a nearly two-hour manhunt. Roads were blocked, a chopper was scanning the area and canines were searching.
Police tracked him to a parking garage on Federal Highway and Commercial Boulevard. He was found hiding under a car on the fifth floor.
“Luckily in this situation, we were able to swiftly take him into custody and there is no longer any threat to the community,” said Adamson.
One life is now lost, and coworkers are shaken in disbelief.
“I just feel a million emotions right now. I don’t really know how to feel,” said a woman.
Police identified the gunman as 33-year-old Angel Candelaria, Tuesday evening. He now faces one count of first-degree murder.
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