A cashier is recovering at Broward General Hospital after a man opened fire in a Lauderhill convenience store late Tuesday night.
The incident happened around 10 p.m. at the U-Save at 4039 Northwest 19th Street.
U-Save owner Moe Nasser said the shooter is a longtime customer who got into a confrontation with the clerk, who family members identified as 21-year-old Ramzi Foqahaa.
Nasser said the man went around the counter to attack Foqahaa, who grabbed a baseball bat to defend himself.
The suspect walked out of the store and came back moments later with a gun, firing several times and hitting Foqahaa twice while the store was full of customers, Nasser said.
Foqahaa's brother, who didn't want to be identified, told NBC 6 that the bullets hit his brother's chest and torso. One of them is now lodged in the man's spine, paralyzing him, the brother said.
"He's in critical condition right now but we're hoping for the best, we're all praying for him," Nasser said.
Nasser said Foqahaa had worked for him for a few years and that nothing like this had ever happened there.
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"I've been here for 25 years, never had a problem like this, the customers are not my customers, they're friends and family," he said. "After 25 years, you feel you know the neighborhood, you feel the customers are your friends and your family and you know, it's an isolated situation, hopefully it'll never happen again."
Lauderhill Police described the suspect as a black male, 35-45 years old, between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-8, heavy set with a Jamaican accent.
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He's considered armed and dangerous and anyone with information is asked to call Broward CrimeStoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
