A Houston, Texas, lawyer was reportedly fatally shot by an angry McDonald’s customer on Saturday after intervening to calm the man down.
Jeffrey Limmer of the Lewis Brisbois law firm was at the McDonald’s on West Interstate Highway 10 service road at around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday when another customer started a dispute with a worker, the New York Post reported.
The customer became irate with employees and demanded a refund, prompting Limmer, 46, to try and diffuse the situation.
Instead of calming down, the alleged gunman directed his rage at the attorney and began to argue with him, according to ABC13.
The two men then headed outside, where the altercation became physical. Detectives say that Limmer pushed the other customer to the ground, prompting him to retrieve a gun from his truck.
The suspect, who has not yet been identified, then allegedly shot Limmer before fleeing the scene in “an early 2000s blue Ford pickup truck,” the local outlet reported.
Limmer was tragically declared dead at the scene by first responders.
Greg Monteverde, a childhood friend of Limmer’s, drove by the crime scene without realizing the victim on the ground was his pal he had known since they were nine years old.
“It’s a deep gut punch,” he told FOX26. “I know a lot of us are still in shock.”
The late attorney’s sister, Jennifer Thomas, said she’s not surprised her brother tried to calm the dispute because his career was spent helping others do the same.
“Knowing Jeff, he’s the one who always says, ‘Calm down. It’s not that big of a deal,’ and divert the situation,” Thomas told the station. “He’s always wanted to fight for the little guy and do the right thing.”
The family was attending Thomas’s daughter’s graduation ceremony when they received the horrible news.
She explained that Limmer was a regular customer of that McDonald’s location, and was just a “good Samaritan who is trying to do the right thing and not letting those employees at McDonalds go through that.”
Thomas added that her brother “fiercely” loved his family and friends.
“Always laughing, making jokes, and just loving life,” the grieving sister said.
The shooter is still at large.