Arrest made in Broward McDonald’s shooting that wounded father and daughter
Hallandale Beach police arrested a man accused of shooting a father and his 11-year-old daughter as they waited for a food order inside their car in a McDonald’s parking lot.
According to police, the gunman was reporting to work at the McDonald’s at 835 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. around 1:30 p.m. Saturday when he opened fire on a group that was waiting for him.
Police said Monday that the suspect, 18-year-old Ralph N-Kosi Blue III, was the only shooter. Police say the shooting stemmed from a dispute between Blue and people in the other group “that originated outside the city of Hallandale Beach.”
Blue’s bullets hit the father and child as they waited in their car for the girl’s mother, who was inside paying for their food order, Capt. Megan Jones, a Hallandale Beach police spokeswoman, told reporters Saturday.
Police say there were also two other children in the car. The 2- and 5-year-olds were not injured, police said. Grace Mariot, a spokeswoman for the city of Hallandale Beach, said Monday that the man has been released from the hospital, and his daughter remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Police have not said which hospital treated them. The family had no connection to the dispute between Blue and the group, Mariot said.
“This arrest is the result of the relentless work of our detectives and the strong partnership we share with the Broward Sheriff’s Office,” Hallandale Beach police Chief Michel Michel said in a statement. “A family was hurt by a reckless act of violence that had nothing to do with them. Today’s arrest is a significant step, but our investigation is far from over. We remain committed to identifying everyone involved and holding them fully accountable.”
Blue is being held at the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s main jail on two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated assault. A judge had not set his bond as of Monday, and information about his legal representation was not immediately available.
The shooting remains under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hallandale Beach Police Department Detective Bureau at 954-457-1400. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477).
Miami Herald staff writer David J. Neal contributed to this report.
