Inset: Abdulla Monther (Broward County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The gas station where Monther works in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Google Maps).
AÂ Florida man was recently arrested after a shooting at a gas station “over the price of beer,” Sunshine State police say.
Abdulla Monther, 46, stands accused of one count of aggravated battery, according to Broward County Sheriff’s Office records.
The incident occurred at a Valero gas station in Fort Lauderdale, where Monther works as a clerk, a criminal complaint affidavit shows.
The defendant allegedly informed law enforcement officers that a verbal dispute with a customer resulted in a shooting, the affidavit reveals.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
On June 19, at 11:40 p.m., deputies arrived in response to calls about a shooting. Witness accounts provided the basic narrative.
According to the document, Monther, while on duty as a clerk, engaged in an argument with the customer regarding beer prices. The altercation escalated when the customer threw a small object, potentially a piece of paper, at the clerk. Subsequently, Monther retrieved a gun from beneath the counter and shot the customer in the right calf.
The affidavit says surveillance footage provided by the store’s manager more or less substantiated what the witnesses said about the shooting.
Footage obtained from the gas station’s surveillance system, provided voluntarily to the authorities by the store manager, supported the witness statements. The video depicted the exchange between the parties, following which Monther retrieved a firearm, loaded it, and discharged it in the direction of the customer.
The sheriff’s office alleges Monther taunted the victim after the violence.
“Right after the shooting, Monther stated, ‘P– ass N–’ [and] went around the counter to follow the victim still holding a firearm in his hand,” the affidavit continues.
The defendant was later Mirandized and offered several details about the precise contours of the argument about the beer price.
[Monther] stated that he was involved in an argument with a customer over an additional fifty cents needed to purchase a beer. During this disagreement, the victim grabbed several packs of “Now and Later” candies and pushed them toward the clerk, saying, “I am going to kill you. You are going to die here tonight.” [Monther] indicated that the victim was loud and aggressive, which made him feel uncomfortable. As a result, [Monther] pulled out a 9mm Sig Sauer P226 … and fired at the victim, striking him in the calf. [Monther] claimed that he intentionally aimed the firearm at the floor in an effort to avoid hitting the victim directly.
After the interview, another deputy performed a sweep of the gas station and recovered the gun allegedly used in the shooting as well as one bullet and a magazine near where the altercation occurred, according to the affidavit.
Monther was subsequently arrested.
He was initially jailed in the Broward County Jail but posted $10,000 bond on Monday and has since been released, court records show.
