Shooter sentenced for murder of man outside BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in Winston-Salem
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — A man was sentenced to over a decade in prison after a fatal shooting in Winston-Salem.
FOX8 is told Robert Anthony Granato was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to serve 16 years to 20 years and three months in prison.
He was also found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon after consuming alcohol, but that was consolidated into the murder charge.
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On Aug. 6, 2019, officers were called to the restaurant for a reported shooting. However, the calls show that a call was made before the shooting happened.
At 3:39 p.m., a restaurant employee called 911 saying there were two men who were drunk and disruptive. One of those people, prosecutors say, was 27-year-old Granato.
“They’re arguing with two of my other guests that are trying to protect the women at the bar. I need backup,” the employee said. “This is going to be bad.”
One of the guests protecting the women, officials say, was Julius Sampson Jr. Just over a minute later, a second call was placed.
“Has someone been shot?” a dispatcher asked.
“Yes, somebody’s been shot,” the employee responded. “Right in front of my restaurant.”
“Is it a male or a female?” the dispatcher asked.
“It’s a male. I literally just called,” the employee replied.
“Is he breathing?” the dispatcher asked.
“Yes, he’s breathing, but there’s blood everywhere,” the employee said before mentioning the shooter was currently pinned down.
Sampson and Granato were reportedly fighting outside the restaurant when Granato pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Sampson in the chest.
“We are customers inside the restaurant, and they shot one of the guys. Oh my God,” a customer said in a third call. “Y’all need to get the police out here.”
“Some guy just shot another guy in the parking lot. We need help immediately,” another person said.
Dispatchers repeatedly told the callers they had police, firefighters and paramedics on the way to the scene.
“We’re in the Hanes Mall parking lot. He’s not breathing. He’s not (expletive) breathing,” another caller said. “He’s not breathing. He’s not breathing.”
Witnesses were able to continue to pin down Granato and get the gun away from him, officials say.
“The police are here,” a customer said in the third call.
About three minutes and 40 seconds pass from the beginning of the first call until when that caller reported seeing an officer getting on the scene.
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