Suspects sought in shooting at a Florida McDonald's that injured father and 11-year-old daughter caught in crossfire
The shooting victims were "innocent bystanders," according to police.
An investigation continued on Sunday to identify multiple gunmen who opened fire outside a South Florida McDonald's, injuring a father and his 11-year-old daughter who were caught in the crossfire, police said.
The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon outside a McDonald's in Hallandale Beach, about 18 miles north of Miami, according to police.
"We have two innocent bystanders involved in a situation that had nothing to do with them," Capt. Megan Jones of the Hallandale Beach Police Department said at a news conference on Saturday.
Jones said the shooting unfolded around 1:35 p.m. when an individual arrived at the McDonald's and was ambushed by a someone who was apparently waiting for them.
"We do believe that one of the parties involved was a McDonald's employee," said Jones, adding that it remains under investigation whether the employee was the target of the shooting
Jones said the father and daughter who were injured were in a car parked in the McDonald's parking lot when the shooting started.
She said the wife of the man who was injured was inside the McDonald's picking up food when the shooting occurred.
"As soon as she heard the incident, she ran back outside looking to see if her family was involved and discovered that her husband and her child had been shot," Jones said.
In an updated statement on Saturday evening, police said a preliminary investigation indicated that "an altercation between multiple individuals escalated into an exchange of gunfire."
The suspects fled the scene before officers arrived, according to the statement.
The wounded father and daughter, whose names were not released, were taken to a nearby hospital where they were both in stable condition, Jones said. She said the child was expected to undergo surgery.
"I was told that the child involved was screaming, which is a good thing, and crying, which is also a good thing, because anytime you get shot in certain extremities, no response is a very bad response," Jones said. "So, to be able to report that she's in stable condition at this time is a plus for us. It's a benefit."
Jones said detectives were reviewing security video of the incident in an effort to identify those responsible for the shooting.
"Our detectives are following up on leads and pursuing every avenue to identify and apprehend those responsible," Jones said in a statement to ABC News Sunday afternoon.
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