A fast-food argument that initially appeared to be a routine altercation has taken a sharper turn, with police now identifying a Taco Bell employee as the alleged shooter and outlining how a dispute over a drink escalated into gunfire. Authorities say 20-year-old D’Mari Jy’Quan Patterson has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm after allegedly firing at three female customers inside the West Palm Beach location.
According to The New York Post, the confrontation began when three women entered the restaurant and asked for plastic cups, which are provided to customers who only want water. Police allege that one of the women then used the cup to fill soda from the fountain, prompting Patterson—who was working at the time—to intervene.
What followed, authorities say, was a heated exchange that quickly spiraled out of control. Video reviewed by police reportedly captures Patterson shouting before the sound of a firearm being racked is heard moments before shots were fired.
Witness Rob Steiner, who was inside the restaurant, described the rapid escalation. He said the argument grew “louder and louder” before a shot rang out.
“I didn’t know it was a gunshot at first,” Steiner said, adding that a second blast made the situation clear. “I could see the gunpowder… that’s when I went into fight or flight, and just ran out of the building.”
Earlier reports confirmed that one person was transported to the hospital with minor injuries after the shooting, while another individual was detained at the scene.
Updated details now indicate that two of the women sustained non-life-threatening injuries—one struck by a bullet and another grazed—while a third escaped unharmed after allegedly being chased as additional shots were fired. Police say one of those rounds struck a window near the entrance.
The investigation remains ongoing.
