OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The fast food worker accused of fatally shooting a customer on Wednesday during an argument over a food order will remain in jail after a judge denied bond Friday.
Elijah Mackey, 23, faces a charge of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Wesley Robertson, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. on Wednesday at the restaurant, located at 5780 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, the release states.
[VIDEO BELOW: Customers react to deadly shooting]
Mackey and Robertson were involved in a verbal dispute regarding Robertson’s food order when the confrontation escalated, allegedly to the point that Mackey shot Robertson, the sheriff’s office said.
Robertson was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the release states.
Mackey was arrested via warrant on Thursday and was booked into the Osceola County Jail with no bond amount.
The arrest warrant sheds more light on the shooting, citing witnesses who told investigators that Robertson had begun asking employees to speak to the manager when Mackey allegedly exited the building, pulled out a gun, and shot Robertson in the chest.
Mackey then ran away and was found hiding beneath a stairwell in Celebration Suites, where he — while being detained — reportedly asked if Robertson was OK, according to the warrant.
Further, video from the Checkers reportedly shows Mackey climbing out of a drive-thru window and walking to the front of the business, where Robertson could soon be seen falling to the ground, the warrant states.
A sign had been placed in a window at the Checkers on Thursday informing customers it was closed.
“I wanted to get a ‘2 for $7 (meal)’ and then I find out craziness happened,” Laurence Parris told News 6.
Parris did not know what had unfolded the night before until he bumped into a News 6 crew outside the restaurant.
“That’s a quick escalation,” he said, after learning the shooting stemmed from an argument over a food order.
Behind the Checkers, Amanda Barajas was tending bar at Bobby’s Garage.
“I noticed the crime scene tape,” Barajas told News 6’s Mike Valente. “But until you came in, I had absolutely no idea.”
Barajas called the shooting “heartbreaking.”
“It’s scary if somebody is willing to go to those lengths over food,” she said.
She was also troubled to know that an employee at Checkers had access to a gun at work.
“Unless you’re like security or a police officer, I don’t think there’s any reason to have a weapon at work,” Barajas said.
News 6 asked Checkers about any policies governing weapons at work. A spokesperson did not address those questions.
A spokesperson for Checkers issued a statement regarding Wednesday’s shooting:
“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.”
Kim Francis, Checkers spokesperson