South Sound News

Man shot by employee outside Spanaway Wendy's; police looking for video

By KIRO 7 News Staff
By KIRO 7 News Staff

SPANAWAY, Wash. — The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department says an employee at a Spanaway Wendy’s fast food restaurant shot a man in the restaurant’s parking lot after a confrontation that started inside the building.

Police were called to the Wendy’s at 15805 Pacific Ave. S. at 9:55 p.m. Sunday for a report of a fight and shots fired.

When deputies arrived, they found a 22-year-old employee sitting inside the restaurant with a handgun in a holster on his hip.

The employee told the deputies he was on a break at work when he saw three or four men walking into the restaurant. Police said the employee had reportedly been involved in an altercation with the men earlier in Federal Way.

The employee and the men became involved in a confrontation inside the restaurant, which escalated into a fight.

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Police said at that point, the employee displayed a concealed handgun and the men ran out to the parking lot.

Deputies say the employee followed them, firing multiple shots. One man was shot in the back of his shoulder.

The victims fled in a vehicle and a man was later dropped off at a local hospital, where he was treated for a non-life threatening injury.

Deputies arrested the Wendy’s employee for investigation of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Investigators said he did not have a concealed pistol license at the time of the shooting.

One customer, who was inside at the time, recorded cell phone video of the employee firing shots as he ran out of the restaurant.

An online handbook for Wendy’s employees states that employees are prohibited from bringing dangerous weapons or firearms on property.

Another customer, Quin Landry, said he was in the drive-through when the shooting happened. He said he and his friend waited for someone to take their order.

He said the employee repeated, “we’ll be with you in just one moment.”

After they ordered their food, Landry said he heard the shots.

“I heard it, and then I turned my head. And that’s when I heard it again, and that’s when I saw the guy running,” Landry said.

When they approached the second window to pay, he said an employee there told them they could not accept their payment and advised them to leave.

He said he was concerned for his friend’s two brothers, who were already inside.

“They’re not fireworks. It’s not the 4th of July anymore. So I was like, ok, they have to be gunshots. And I was like, those two boys are in there. We got to go. We have to get them. We have to leave,” Landry said.

Detectives say they received information that several customers were recording the altercation inside the restaurant and would like to view the video.  Police ask any witnesses to contact them as soon as possible.

Jim Evans, President of WTC Ventures, franchisee of the Spanaway restaurant released this statement to KIRO 7 on Monday night:

We're taking this matter extremely seriously and while this appears to be an isolated incident, we will have additional security at the restaurant over the next week as an added safety measure.  We will also continue to fully cooperate with the Sheriff's office as they conduct their investigation of this incident.

Since this is an ongoing investigation we're unable to discuss any other details. I encourage you to reach out to the Sheriff's office for more information.

Detectives would also like to get statements from the victim’s friends, who were also shot at in the parking lot.

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