Argument outside eatery leaves one dead, one hurt
A shooting outside a restaurant on the main strip of Lake Worth killed one man and injured another, police said.
Gunfire broke out around 1 a.m. Sunday outside Las Flores Restaurant at 913 Lake Ave., just west of Dixie Highway, across the street from Lake Worth City Hall.
Nelson Sigfredo Hernandez Mena, 48, of Lake Worth, is charged in the shooting.
Juan Javier Cruz, 22, of Lake Worth, was killed. A second man, whose name hasn’t been released, was shot in the ankle, deputies said.
Witnesses told investigators Mena had been watching Cruz and four friends in the restaurant. After the restaurant closed, there was argument outside.
Mena, who is a Honduran citizen, shouted at Cruz and his friends: “If we were in my country, I’d kill all of you like rats.” At least one of the men in the group is gay, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s report.
Cruz responded, and Mena pulled out a gun, the report says. A witness told investigators Mena shouted “I hate all you damned gays I’m going to kill you all here,” and then started shooting.
Cruz died outside the restaurant, and Mena was arrested shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday. He told investigators he drank 15 to 20 beers and was very drunk when a group of guys started attacking and threatening him. He said he didn’t intend to hurt anyone, according to the report.
The investigation into the shooting remains active, and it’s too early to determine if Mena will be charged with a hate crime, said Palm Beach State Attorney’s Office spokesman Michael Edmondson.
“First-degree murder cannot be enhanced as it’s a capital crime, but any lesser charge could be enhanced if the investigation establishes hate motivation on targeting the victim,” he said.
Mena faces charges of murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault with a firearm. He was booked into Palm Beach County Jail and held without bond.