Security guard shoots a man at Publix in Hollywood as store was closing, reports say
Hollywood police are investigating a shooting at a Publix grocery store in downtown Hollywood.
According to media reports, witnesses told WSVN-Channel 7 that an “aggressive man” was trying to get into the store just after it closed at 10 p.m. Friday. A security guard shot the man, investigators said, and the man was taken to the hospital. The guard, who was interviewed by detectives, was not injured nor were customers.
A Publix spokeswoman said because it’s a pending investigation, the company would not provide additional details and referred inquiries to the Hollywood Police Department.
According to a news release sent by Hollywood police spokeswoman Deanna Bettineschi, officers responded to a 911 call at the store at 1740 Polk St. that said a security guard had shot someone.
When police got to Publix they found the man who’d been shot, started first aid, and spoke to the guard.
“The initial investigation has revealed the victim was familiar to the security guard and that they were involved in a physical altercation just prior to the shooting,” Bettineschi’s said in the statement.
Hollywood Fire Rescue took the man to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he died.
The security guard is cooperating with detectives, police said., and the investigation is continuing.
The 47,000-square-foot grocery store, an anchor at the $200 million CIRC project that includes a hotel and residences that opened in 2018, opened for business as usual at 7 Saturday morning.
The Publix, on Polk Street, is across from the Hollywood ArtsPark that hosts Friday night movie nights from 8 to 10 p.m. “Luca,” a 95-minute Pixar film, was featured, but there were no reports of incidents related to the shooting.
WPLG-Local 10 reported that some customers were still inside Publix at checkout lines and were told to run to the back. ”Everybody ran back and they yelled code red,” a witness, who was not inside the store, told the station.
This was not the first incident related to guns drawn inside a South Florida Publix in recent years.
A Miami man was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after shooting another Miami man when both were at the Florida Lottery customer service line inside the Coral Gables Publix supermarket at 106 Ponce de Leon Boulevard in February.
An armed robber was seen on surveillance video at the Publix on 11600 W. Sample Rd. in October 2021.
And in June 2021, a man opened fire in the produce area at a Royal Palm Beach Publix, killing a 1-year-old boy and grandmother before dying himself.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published June 11, 2022 at 10:12 AM.
