Clearwater Dunkin' employee accused of shooting customer following argument
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A man is in serious condition after police in Clearwater said he was shot by a Dunkin’ employee Monday night.
According to police, Khalil Abdul Shakur Shaheed, 22, an employee at the Dunkin’ on Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. in Clearwater, got into an argument with 38-year-old customer Jewitt Steele who was trying to buy ice cream for his girlfriend and his two children.
Fire and police responded to the call a little after 6 p.m. The victim’s girlfriend is heard on the 911 call comforting the children.
"It’s OK, guys," she said. "It’s OK. He’s not going to die. I promise you, he’s not going to die. Daddy’s going to be OK," she’s heard saying on the call.
Khalil Abdul Shakur Shaheed mugshot courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Police said as the victim and his family left the business out the front door, Shaheed went out the back door and confronted Steele in the parking lot, where the argument continued.
"As far as we know, they’re strangers and at this point, we’re still trying to figure out what transpired here," Clearwater Police Chief Daniel Slaughter said.
Slaughter said Shaheed pulled a gun out of his waistband and fired three times, hitting the victim twice in the legs, one gunshot wound to the upper right thigh and one gunshot wound to left knee. Steele was taken to Bayfront Health for treatment.
"There’s really no logic that I can apply to understand how this unfolded. We believe at this point we’re going to move on the presumption that there must be some other information that we’re still trying to figure out," Slaughter said. "Once we’re able to speak more with the victim after his medical treatment, hopefully we’ll be able to get more details on what led to the argument in the first place," he said.
Officers arrested Shaheed in the neighboring Sam’s Club parking lot with the gun still on him, Slaughter said. He’s charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed firearm, and has bonded out of jail.
"We were fortunate that not only no one else got hurt, but we had officers that were immediately in the area, that were immediately flagged down and were able to get the person in custody and not have any further incidents of concern, but it was definitely a peak period of the day and that is always concerning," Slaughter said.
Officers are tracking where the gun came from, but Slaughter said it appears that the suspect bought it through legal means.
A Dunkin’ spokesperson said the store is cooperating with police, and sent the following statement:
"We are aware of the incident that took place at our franchised location in Clearwater, FL. The franchisee is cooperating fully with local authorities as they conduct their investigation. Due to this being an active investigation, we defer any further comment to the local police department."