Thomas Houghton, who owns La Ola Restaurant on Fort Myers Beach, was in the parking lot of The Restaurant Depot Thursday when gunfire erupted. One person was killed in the shooting.
A shaken up Houghton told Beach Talk Radio that when he was loading up his vehicle he heard the pop, pop, pop and knew it was gunfire. He said he got out of there as quickly as he could. The first person he called was his mother to let her know he was ok.
Restaurant Depot is a members-only chain selling wholesale food, beverages, equipment & supplies for restaurants and bars on U.S. 41 in Fort Myers.
Meanwhile, inside the store, employees and customers feared for their lives not knowing if the shooter would move inside and continue shooting. Deputies arrived quickly after the 911 call.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that one person died in the shooting.
The man killed was loading his vehicle outside the store. LCSO has not shared the victims name or said whether the shooter and victim knew each other.
As of this morning all LCSO is saying is that this was an “isolated incident and all parties are accounted for.” A homicide investigation in now underway.