NEED TO KNOW
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An 11-year-old girl and her father were shot while sitting in their car outside a McDonald’s in Florida on June 27
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The suspected shooter, a McDonald’s employee, was arrested and faces multiple aggravated battery and assault charges
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The girl, Dora Belen Rivera, remains hospitalized with a bullet lodged in her head, and doctors said they cannot remove it yet.
A girl and her father — described as “innocent bystanders” — were shot in the parking lot of a Florida McDonald’s. A bullet became lodged in the daughter’s head, and doctors now say they cannot remove it yet.
The 11-year-old girl and her father — identified by NBC 6 South Florida as Dora Belen Rivera and Oscar Roman Miron — were struck by bullets while sitting in a vehicle outside a McDonald’s in Hallandale Beach on the afternoon of Saturday, June 27.
A GoFundMe created on the family’s behalf reveals new details about the tragic incident and the condition of the victims.
“As reported by local authorities, Oscar and his family had just arrived at the restaurant while his wife went inside to pick up food. Oscar remained in the vehicle with their three children. Without warning, an altercation broke out between other individuals in the parking lot, and gunfire erupted,” Miron’s co-worker Reyna Mateo wrote on the GoFundMe fundraiser.
Rivera was shot in the head and her father was shot in the hip, per NBC 6.
A 2-year-old and 5-year-old child, whom the outlet identified as Rivera’s siblings, were also inside the vehicle at the time of the incident, but they were not wounded, police previously said. The GoFundMe added, “Their two other children, who were also inside the vehicle, were physically unharmed but witnessed the terrifying incident.”
As of Monday, Miron was treated and released from a hospital, where his daughter remained in stable condition. He is “continuing his recovery at home,” per the GoFundMe.
Rivera, meanwhile, remains at the hospital in stable condition. She has undergone surgery, per the fundraiser, but the bullet from the shooting remains in her head.
“Doctors have advised the family that they are not removing the bullet at this time because doing so could cause even greater harm,” the fundraiser states. “She continues to receive specialized medical care and faces a long road to recovery.”
Ralph N-Kosi Blue III — who was arriving to work at the restaurant, per NBC 6 — was arrested in connection with the shooting, the Hallandale Beach Police Department previously confirmed.
A McDonald’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, July 5. PEOPLE has previously reached out for comment on the incident.
The incident originated outside Hallandale Beach, police previously said.
Police described the family as “innocent bystanders.” The GoFundMe further states, “Oscar and his family had no involvement whatsoever in the incident.”
Per NBC 6, Blue, 18, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. He is no longer employed at the McDonald’s, and he is being held at the Broward County Jail without bond, per NBC 6.
It is not immediately clear whether Blue has acquired legal representation.