One person is dead and several others are injured after gunfire erupted at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in New Jersey.
The deadly shooting happened around 9 p.m. on Saturday at a Chick-fil-A on Route 22 in Union.
Upon arrival, responding officers found seven victims, one who was subsequently pronounced dead. Six other victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
(Note: Video in the media player above is from a previous report.)
While no arrests have been made at this time, a preliminary investigation reveals the incident does not appear to be a random act of violence and that there is no immediate ongoing threat to the general public.
On Sunday morning, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill issued a statement responding to the shooting, saying in part, “I have been briefed on the shooting last night in Union Township. As local law enforcement continues their investigation, we remain in close contact with officials on the ground.”
“My thoughts are with those who were injured in the shooting, and with their families.”
All Chick-fil-A locations are closed on Sundays.
Eyewitness News spoke to a father of one of the Chick-fil-A workers on Saturday night. He says that his son called him in a panic, saying that multiple suspects wearing masks entered the establishment. He also says several of his co-workers were injured in a shooting.
The father says he drove to the eatery and described what he called a “warzone.”
A Lyft driver named Martin said he was finishing a trip nearby and heard more than seven shots.
“I finished my trip over there, in the return zone. I heard the shots. When I finished the trip I go to Chick-fil-A to buy two burgers — I see the police, I heard the shots very close,” he says.
The Union County Prosecutor’s Office says it is an ongoing investigation. Authorities are also trying to determine a motive for the shooting as part of their investigation.
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