Eleven-year-old girl shot in the head by McDonald’s worker, 18, as he arrived for his shift at Florida fast-food restaurant
An eleven-year-old girl who was sitting inside an SUV in a McDonald’s parking lot was unintentionally shot in the head by a McDonald’s worker.
Dora Belen Rivera was sitting in the car with her two siblings, two and five, and her father when she was shot while her mother was inside picking up food from the restaurant on Saturday, NBC Miami reported.
Her father, Oscar Roman Miron, was also injured in the hip. The two other children were not hurt on June 27.
The family was not the intended target of a Hallandale Beach McDonald’s employee, Ralph N-Kosi Blue III, who shot someone running toward him while he was on his way to his shift.
The 18-year-old fired the weapon, hitting the family’s vehicle, after an altercation took place in the parking lot, a GoFundMe for Rivera said.
Rivera is recovering in hospital after she underwent surgery. Doctors were unable to remove the bullet, according to the fundraiser, which has garnered nearly $3,000.
Blue was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill.
‘The individual reported to be involved is no longer employed at our organization,’ Hallandale Beach Owner Brad Ashlin told the Daily Mail in a statement.
‘We are devastated by the shooting that occurred outside our restaurant this past weekend. Our thoughts are with the father and young daughter who were injured, as well as their family during this difficult time.’
Dora Belen Rivera, 11, was sitting in the car with her two siblings, two and five, and her father on Saturday when she was accidentally shot in the head by Ralph N-Kosi Blue, 18
She remains hospitalized and the bullet is still in her head, as doctors decided not to remove it. Her father was also shot in the leg, but he has since been discharged
Blue shot toward the car after a man ran up at him in the McDonald’s parking lot. The family was not his intended target
Blue was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill
An arrest report, obtained by NBC Miami, said people came to the McDonald’s two days earlier looking for Blue, who was hiding in the back.
Surveillance footage showed another young man running up on Blue and hiding on the other side of the SUV Rivera and Miron were seated in.
Blue is seen quickly raising the gun and firing.
Rivera ‘faces a long road to recovery,’ according to the GoFundMe, and her siblings were traumatized. Miron was discharged from the hospital.
The family is focusing on helping Rivera heal and providing support for the younger children.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the family for comment.
