A manager at a Popeyes restaurant in North Carolina is facing an attempted murder charge after shooting his co-worker over burnt biscuits, cops say.
Rodney Wood, 22, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder in the May 11 incident, WAFB reported.
The shooting unfolded around 6 p.m. at a Popeyes restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Wood and the other employee were arguing over overcooked biscuits, a customer who witnessed the shooting told police. The witness said both Wood and the other employee went outside after one “challenged” the other and the two began fighting.
While the two were sparring, Wood allegedly pulled out a gun and fired two rounds.
Video taken from the scene shows “[Wood] discharging his firearm twice at point-blank range,” according to court documents obtained by WAFB.
Both shots struck Wood’s co-worker – one in the groin and one in the chest.
The injured employee was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries before undergoing surgery.
When police arrived at the restaurant, Wood was gone. While witnesses told authorities he had run away, police quickly caught him in the same shopping center.
Wood claimed the co-worker he shot was also a manager, police said. He also told police that when the two stepped outside, he was punched in the face three times. He then allegedly fired two “warning shots,” which were not meant to kill, he told police.
While Wood attempted to justify his actions, the arrest affidavit claims “he failed to articulate a credible, imminent threat of deadly force necessary to support a self-defense claim under state law.”
Wood is due back in court later this month, according to the report.
