PORT ST. JOHN, Fla. – A man was shot and killed Sunday night at a McDonald’s in Port St. John after he attacked a driver who was eating in his car in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity, according to deputies.
The fatal shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. at the McDonald’s at 6857 North Highway 1.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the restaurant and found a man in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound. The man, later identified by sheriff’s officials as Brandon Turner, 36, of Cocoa, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
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A preliminary investigation shows that Turner walked up to a vehicle in the parking lot and attacked a driver who was eating his food in his car, the sheriff’s office said. Turner continued striking the driver during the unprovoked attack before the driver grabbed a gun in his vehicle and fired one shot, striking Turner, according to authorities.
Dispatch recordings show the driver called 911 after the shooting.
“Caller’s advising that he had just shot someone, said that a male came up, started punching him in the front seat of his truck so he shot him in the chest,” a dispatcher said Sunday night.
The sheriff’s office said that at this point, it appears Turner mistakenly attacked the driver, believing he was someone else.
Customer Anna Spangler said she felt the shooting was justified.
“Well yeah, you’re in your car minding your own business,” Spangler said. “I mean, you’ve got to defend yourself. How do you know if that person didn’t have a gun?”
The sheriff’s office has not released the 911 call.
No arrests have been made, and an investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the attack and shooting is asked to call Agent Neil Lee of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit at 321-633-8413.
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