Man charged with attempted murder after shooting outside Lakeland McDonald's
The Lakeland Police Department has charged a man with two counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting at a McDonald’s early Sunday morning.
LPD officers arrested Calvin Jordan Sousa, 28, after responding to reports of a disturbance at the McDonald’s at 5325 Frontage Road, near County Line Road and I-4, according to a news release. Officers were dispatched at 2:58 a.m. following calls about a fight between two men, the release said.
While en route, dispatchers received updates that shots had been fired.
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Upon arriving at the scene, officers found a minivan in the roadway in front of the restaurant, the release said. Inside the vehicle, officers found a 28-year-old woman, who had been shot multiple times, and a 34-year-old man rendering aid.
The woman was taken to Lakeland Regional Health in stable condition with serious injuries, the release said, and the man declined medical treatment at the scene for a minor injury.
The suspect had fled the location in a white vehicle, LPD reported. Officers were told that prior to the shooting, the victims were in the drive-through line waiting for their order, which had been delayed because of an error. The suspect, in line behind the victims, became upset and began honking the horn and yelling.
The male victim and the suspect got out of their vehicles and engaged in a physical fight, the release said, before both returned to their vehicles. As the vehicles began to leave the parking lot, the suspect pulled up to the passenger's side of the victims' minivan and fired multiple shots into the vehicle, LPD reported.
Through witness statements and evidence at the scene, officers identified the suspect's vehicle, tracking it to a residence in Highland City. The registered owner of the vehicle was confirmed to be Sousa. Witnesses at the shooting scene also confirmed Sousa as the suspect.
Lakeland police, with the assistance of the Polk County Sheriff's Office, attempted to make contact with Sousa at the residence. He initially refused to leave the home, barricading himself inside, but eventually did leave and was taken into custody, the release said.
Sousa is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and improper exhibit of a firearm.
LPD withheld the victims’ names, citing Marsy's Law.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland man charged with attempted murder after McDonald's shooting
