JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As police continue to search for a customer accused of shooting an employee Wednesday evening at a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in the Paxon neighborhood, they released surveillance video of the man, asking for the public's help to track him down.
The shooting happened about 9 p.m. in the lobby of the fast-food restaurant on North Edgewood Avenue.
Police said a customer got into an altercation with one of the workers, and the man pulled out a gun and shot the employee in the groin area of his leg.
The 24-year-old employee told a man who wanted to enter the restaurant that it was closed, but that the drive-thru window was still open. The man ordered his meal, but got mad over the cost, came back into the restaurant, punched the worker, then shot him in front of two other workers, police said. The gunman took off in a black pickup, police said.
They described the truck as a dark-colored, older-model Ford pickup, possibly a Ford F-150, with a toolbox mounted to the truck bed. They said it has a chrome front and rear bumper and might have a dent on the hood.
The shooter is described as a black man with neatly braided hair. He was wearing a black long-sleeved button-up shirt, blue jeans and black shoes. Police said the video appears to show a passenger in the truck.
The worker, whom News4Jax is not naming because the shooter is still at large, was taken to UF Health with non-life-threatening injuries. He is expected to be OK.
Police said there were four employees at Popeyes when the man was shot.
Detectives continue to investigate.
Popeyes officials declined to comment Thursday.
Anyone who knows anything about the location or identity of the unknown suspect or the location of the truck is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward up to $3,000, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.