A 12-year-old boy was fatally shot inside a Florida convenience store after he went to go and buy ice cream, a shop worker has said.
The gunman shot and wounded a man who was sat in his car outside the Fort Lauderdale store before entering the store. Once inside he shot and killed the boy before turning the gun on himself and killing himself in a seemingly random attack.
Broward County Sheriff's deputies have identified the shooter as 29-year-old Darren Rosenthal, who carried out the attack at the 7-Elevan at around 11pm on Thursday, May 4. Broward Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of gunfire just after 11pm.
Police have not yet released the names of the boy or the wounded man. The man was taken to hospital for treatment, but details of his condition have not been shared.
At a news conference on Friday, May 5, sheriff spokesman Carey Codd said: "Detectives do not believe there is any connection between the gunman and the victims; this does appear to be a random act. There does not appear to be a connection between the two victims."
Investigators said witnesses told them a the gunman fire shots at a man in a vehicle that was parked outside the gas station. He then went inside the station and shot the boy before shooting himself.
Maximo Limas works at the store, and explained that Rosenthal seemed to give no warning before he started shooting. Speaking to Miami's WFOR-TV, Limas said the wounded man "was chilling in his car, minding his business. Pow, shot him in the neck."
He went on to recall events, saying he went inside the store after shooting the man in the car. "He killed the boy and he just killed himself," Limas said.
"He shot a customer [and] the kid just wanted to buy ice cream. That's all he was doing."
Police and emergency services rushed to the seven at the 7-Eleven gas station in Dania Beach after being called just after 11pm on Thursday.
Miami-Dade County court records show Rosenthal had several misdemeanour drug and alcohol-related arrests around eight years ago. A search of their online records show two cases under the name 'Darren Rosenthal' from 2014 related to possession of cannabis and alcohol sale involving a minor. A 2016 case relates to the possession of drug paraphernalia.
The sheriff's office confirmed the boy died at the scene. Police also confirmed that the gunman died at the scene as well. Investigators are now trying to understand what led to the shooting. Anyone with information is being urged to come forward.
Dania Beach is a small city in Florida with a population of just over 30,000 in Broward County which is part of the South Florida metropolitan area.
