Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Good Samaritan Shot To Death While Handing Out Money And Meals At Waffle House
Craig Brewer was handing out $20 bills and free meals when someone reportedly became upset that they weren't receiving any of his generosity.
A man who was handing out $20 bills and free meals at a Florida Waffle House was shot to death when somebody felt slighted amidst his generosity and an argument escalated into violence.
Craig Brewer, 41, was shot and killed early Sunday at a Waffle House restaurant in Gainesville, Florida, located about four miles from the University of Florida campus.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office says 25-year-old Ezekiel Hicks got into an argument with Brewer inside the restaurant, and then went outside to retrieve a handgun. Investigators say Hicks went back inside, argued with Brewer again and shot Brewer in the head.
Before the violence erupted, Brewer was handing out $20 bills and giving free meals to people at the restaurant, ABC News reports. Witnesses recalled the generosity turned sour after a female acquaintance of the suspect became upset that she wasn’t a recipient of Brewer’s handouts. An argument ensued.
That’s when Hicks intervened and allegedly got into a physical altercation with Brewer.
"The speed at which it happened and how quickly it went so bad -- for both the victim and the suspect -- is really kind of the thing that resonates the most with a lot of the folks that have been a part of the investigation," Lt. Brett Rhodenizer, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesman told ABC News.
Surveillance video captured the shooting. Hicks was arrested nearby and he allegedly admitted to cops to the shooting.
A 911 call, published by the Gainesville Sun, gave an account of the chaos before shots were fired. The caller said that there was a large group of people arguing and that they were beyond the point of reasoning.
“I got a fight that’s about ready to erupt,” she said. “Nobody is listening. It’s getting out of control.”
Online records show Hicks is facing first-degree murder and unlicensed firearm charges. No attorney was listed for him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
