Police are investigating the shooting death of a popular restaurant owner in Hialeah Saturday morning.
Witnesses told police the owner was opening up the La Fortuna Restaurant and Cafeteria, located at 1925 W 76th Street, around 6 a.m. Friends and regular customers identified the owner as Andres, a 78-year-old man who operated the restaurant with his wife.
That's when police said two men attempted to enter the business in an apparent robbery attempt. When Andres refused to open, the men opened fire.
One woman who said she knows the server who was also inside that morning told NBC 6 that Andres was trying to act in self-defense.
"Apparently they came to rob him this morning, and when he went to get his own weapon, they shot him," she said. "The server hid. She went to the phone and by the time rescue arrived, he was already dead."
Customers were shocked to hear of the shooting, describing Andres as a had-working man who worked to take care of his family.
"It's sad to hear," customer Juan Hernandez said. "You go to work and you find someone that wants to take whatever you earn away from you."
Local
Police are now on the hunt for those responsible. They are urging anyone with information to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
