In another case of senseless gun violence in the US, a Taco Bell employee has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault after he allegedly fired a firearm at one of the customers who attempted to fill a water cup with soda. The incident took place on Monday (Apr 27) at the Taco Bell store in West Palm Beach, Florida, during lunchtime.
Three women entered the fast-food chain and asked 20-year-old D’Mari Jy’Quan Patterson for a cup of water. Patterson provided the cup, but then confronted one of them for filling it with soda. Annoyed that the customer was using the water cup to pour free soda for herself, Patterson started shouting as startled customers recorded the ensuing chaos.
One of the video clips obtained by the police showed Patterson scolding the woman who stood near the soda fountain, according to a report in NBC Miami.
As the argument escalated, the sound of the slide of a firearm being racked could be heard, as per the affidavit. Seconds later, the first round went off, hitting a woman who instantly collapsed to the ground. Another suffered a graze wound, while the third managed to exit the establishment. However, Patterson chased her and fired another shot in her direction, which struck a window near the store’s entrance.
Patterson then went back inside. The three customers got into a car and drove themselves to JFK North Medical for treatment. Two of the customers sustained minor injuries.
One person was injured after a shooting inside a West Palm Beach Taco Bell that reportedly began with an argument over a soft drink. pic.twitter.com/sjLL0x9eZW
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In the aftermath, Patterson called the law enforcement and claimed that he believed the customers had weapons and that they rushed him and his coworker. He admitted to pulling his gun and firing shots in the air.
However, as per the probable affidavit, no evidence supports Patterson’s self-defence claims. It stated that Patterson was an active participant in the verbal argument with the victims.
“Patterson did intentionally and unlawfully threaten by word or act to do violence” to the victims, the affidavit stated. He also brandished and discharged a gun, “which created a well-founded fear in the victims that such violence was imminent”.
Patterson remains in custody and is next scheduled to appear in the court on May 27.