Taco Bell Worker Shot, Killed Over Customer's Counterfeit Bill, No Arrests Yet
Alejandro Garcia was gunned down at a Taco Bell drive-thru after refusing to serve a customer who paid using fake money. He died in the arms of his son, who also worked at the fast food location.
A Taco Bell worker was shot dead by a customer who opened fire after being denied a fast food meal he’d tried to purchase with counterfeit bills, police said.
Alejandro Garcia, 41, was identified by relatives as the lone victim in Sunday’s as-yet unsolved drive-thru shooting in South Los Angeles.
Police responded to reports of gunfire at a Taco Bell drive-thru in the 9900 block of South Avalon Boulevard at approximately 10:55 p.m. on Jan. 9. Garcia had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics.
The unidentified gunman emptied several rounds on the restaurant’s drive-thru window before fleeing the scene in his vehicle, authorities said. Police suspect the shooting unfolded after Garcia refused to serve the man, who tried to pay with a counterfeit bill.
he suspected shooter, who police described as a Black man, remains at large. Officials said the incident wasn’t gang-related, but the Los Angeles Police Department declined to release additional information regarding the open case this week.
Garcia’s family, who confirmed the fast food worker’s death, said he’d been shot in the heart. The 41-year-old’s son, a fellow Taco Bell employee, also witnessed the shooting, they said.
“The way that he died in front of his son, it was a really traumatic experience for my nephew," cousin Nancy Del Sol told Los Angeles television station KTTV.
Garcia died in his son’s arms, Del Sol said.
"When he didn't want to take the bill, I guess they got upset and started shooting,” Del Sol said. “My nephew was close by, so he closed the window but the shots went in…he died there in front of his son's presence and it's something that will be hard for my nephew to get over.”
The 41-year-old husband and father of three was described as a “hardworking” and determined “family man.” Garcia was from Cuernavaca, Mexico — about 50 miles south of Mexico City — according to his Facebook profile.
His family is now fundraising online to help cover funeral expenses following his sudden death.
A vigil for Garcia was scheduled for Tuesday at the Taco Bell where the shooting occurred.
"I want justice,” another cousin, Corina Garcia Demeza, said. “I want justice for the family. I want justice for everybody in the community so these people won't be out there killing people for just simply doing their job.”
Garcia’s family, who is pleading for the public’s assistance in identifying the California father’s killer, want the police make an arrest in the case.
"We want the police to find the killers,” Garcia Demeza said. “We're not gonna stop until we find the killers and if I have to go every day to the detective's office and talk, I will talk every day until they find them."
A manager at the South Los Angeles Taco Bell where the shooting occurred wasn’t immediately available for comment regarding the incident when contacted by Oxygen.com.