Online seller says he was shot at McDonald's while meeting with would-be buyer

Orange County Sheriff's Office investigates incident

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man who was trying to sell an item online met up with someone at a McDonald’s restaurant to complete the transaction, but the would-be buyer shot the seller in the parking lot and then took off, deputies said.

"We walked across the entrance into McDonald's (and) we heard two shots fairly quickly,” witness Steve Garnall said. “And we heard the bullets kind of whiz by in front of us.”

Garnall and his wife were going to eat dinner at the McDonald’s when they saw a fight in the parking lot followed by a car speeding away.

"It happened kinda fast,” Garnall said. “It was hard to react to it. It was like, ‘Bang bang.’ I didn't know what was going on.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office learned of the shooting around 7 p.m., then went to the chain restaurant at 3713 McCoy Road to investigate, according to a news release. When deputies arrived, they couldn’t find the shooter or a victim.

A short time later, officials with the fire department received a call about a man at Semoran Boulevard and Hoffner Avenue who had been shot.

The victim told investigators about his experience trying to sell the item on the internet, and said that’s how he met the shooter. The two agreed to meet at McDonald’s, but then the would-be buyer stole the item for sale, took out a gun and shot the victim, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

"When (the victim) got out (of the car), he kinda staggered down like this, but I didn't see any blood, so I don't know if he was shot or not," Garnall said.

The victim’s friend helped load the victim back into his car, drove him from the McDonald’s, called 911, and met the fire department near a Family Dollar store.

Emergency crews put the victim on a stretcher and took him away by ambulance. Deputies said the man was shot in his upper body.

The victim is listed as stable at a hospital. There’s no word on who is responsible for the shooting.

Deputies said Sunday they were looking for a silver four-door Hyundai that could possibly have four people inside. They believe the car was at the scene when the shooting took place.


Recommended Videos