According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), officers responded to reports of a man shot in the neck at a Brooklyn McDonald’s at approximately 7 p.m. Monday. Witnesses told WCBS-TV the altercation began over cold fries.
Michael Morgan, 20, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon: loaded firearm by the NYPD on Tuesday.
The employee, who was later identified as 23-year-old Matthew Webb, died of his injuries, police confirmed Friday.
Police told Newsweek that in addition to the attempted murder charge, Morgan also faces a murder charge for an unrelated shooting.
The arrest come just weeks after a similar shooting occurred at a Wendy’s in Arizona over “cold fries and non-spicy nuggets.” Meanwhile, another fast food employee in Texas was allegedly shot by a customer during a dispute over sauce.
Data published in 2021 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 82 employees working in food service or preparation died from work-related injuries, with more than 72,000 suffering injuries on the job.
According to police, officers at the scene observed Webb with a gunshot wound to his neck. After being transported to the hospital, he died from his injuries on Wednesday.
An 18-year-old female, identified by police as Camellia Dunlap, was also arrested in connection to the shooting. She was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon: loaded firearm.
The Unsolved Murder
On Wednesday, police told Newsweek that in addition to the attempted murder charge, Morgan was charged with murder in connection to an unsolved 2020 shooting.
According to police, officers responded to reports of a male shot in front of an apartment building. At the scene, officers discovered the 28-year-old male, identified as Kevin Holloman, with multiple gunshot wounds.
Holloman was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased, police said.
Other Fast Food Shootings
In May, two fast food restaurants located just yards away from each other in Atlanta were the scenes of separate shootings in one night. According to police, a customer at McDonald’s fired shots through the drive-thru window the same night two 16-year-olds were shot at a Taco Bell.
In Chicago, an employee at a popular hot dog restaurant was shot in the face while working the service window last month.
“Cold French fries should not result in a shooting,” attorney Sanford Rubenstein told WCBS-TV. “At the end of the day, it’s gun violence all over this country, particularly in this city that has to be brought under control, and fast food restaurants are not the safe havens they used to be.”
Update 8/5/22, 11:01 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information about the victim.
