A Floridian good Samaritan was picking up people’s tabs and giving out money at a local Florida Waffle House when he was shot dead in a fight that seemed to have been sparked by his generosity, officials said.
According to a statement from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Craig Brewer, 41, was shot in the head and killed at about 3 in the morning during an alleged altercation at the Newberry Road Waffle House in Gainesville.
The suspected shooter, Ezekiel Hicks, 25 (pictured above) was arrested at the scene.
The Altercation with the Good Samaritan
The Gainesville Sun reported that Brewer was picking up customer’s tabs and was handing out $20 bills when a woman who was there with the suspect got angry because of Brewer.
“The victim was engaging folks at the restaurant, and there was a disagreement with a female customer,” sheriff’s Lt. Brett Rhodenizer said.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Hicks then confronted Brewer and started arguing with him. He left the restaurant to get a handgun. He then went back inside, despite protests from a bystander and started a fight with Brewer.
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Brewer and Hicks got into a brief physical fight before Hicks pulled the trigger, deputies said. Hicks is accused of shooting Brewer multiple times, at least once in the head, according to Rhodenizer.
Deputies responded to the Waffle House early Sunday after employees called 911 to disperse a “large unruly crowd.” They believe the shooting occurred just before they got there or as they were arriving.
Currently, there is an investigation delving into finding out if there had been a possible relationship between Hicks and Brewer before the fight. At the scene, investigators recovered a 9 mm Glock pistol that may have been used in the shooting.
“The evidence in the case is fairly straightforward. We’re working with the state attorney. It’s pretty obvious. We have on video what happened. There was at least one gunshot to the head but the medical examiner will offer authoritative information on that.What we’re trying to find out in the days ahead is if this was truly a verbal argument that turned into a murder case or if there is something missing there.”
Hicks was charged with first-degree murder.
