ORLANDO—A Burger King employee was killed on Saturday, August 1, after getting into a fight with a woman about a delay in a food order.
Around 7:30 p.m. the Orange County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call saying that someone had been shot at the Burger King in East Colonial Drive in Orlando, Florida. The victim was identified as Desmond Joshua Jr., who started working at the restaurant on July 30. He was found with a gunshot wound to his chest and was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
According to the arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office regarding the incident, a witness said that orders were taking longer than normal in the drive-thru. A woman, who was later identified by the deputies as Ashley Mason, got out of her car and yelled at Joshua Jr. She threatened him by saying she would call “her man” to the restaurant. The employee asked her to leave and refunded her money.
A witness, who was recording, told deputies that Mason left for two minutes and came back with a white truck that was being driven by a man who was identified as 37-year-old Kelvis Rodriguez-Tormes. He demanded to fight Joshua Jr. and placed him into a headlock while choking him, according to a testimony from the affidavit. A statement gathered by officials noted that a subject separated the men who were fighting and Rodriguez-Tormes returned to his truck with a handgun.
“You got two seconds before I shoot you,” is what a witness overheard Rodriguez-Tormes say after lowering the window of the truck. A subject saw Demond Joshua falling to the ground. Mason and Rodriguez fled the scene, but their vehicles were later found by deputies.
After locating the suspects and interviewing them, officials concluded that Mason was in fact the woman in the drive through and that Rodriguez-Tormes shot Desmond Joshua. Deputies found out that the latter was a convicted felon. He also destroyed the firearm he used to shoot the employee. As a result, he was charged with “first degree murder with a firearm,” “destruction of evidence” and “possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.”
Chriz Finazzo, the president of Burger King Corporation in North America, referred to the homicide of Desmond Joshua, and offered his condolences.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic incident that took place at the Burger King on 7643 E. Colonial Drive and passing of team member Desmond Joshua. At Burger King, the safety of team members and guests is our top priority. The franchisee who owns and operates the restaurant is offering grief counseling services to all team members at the location and fully cooperating with authorities on this matter,” said Finazzo.
“The Burger King McLamore Foundation exists to offer support to team members and their loved ones during incomprehensible times such as this. Our deepest condolences go out to Desmond’s family and friends during this difficult time,” he added.
