Regular Patron Injured by Gunfire at Jacksonville Eatery

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville restaurant owner is speaking out after one of her longtime customers was shot inside her business over the weekend.

The shooting happened Saturday night at Que Padre on University Boulevard. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says a man in his 50s was inside the restaurant when someone dressed in all black fired through the front window, hitting him in the back. Police say the suspect then took off on a bike.

Owner Nely Osorio says Que Padre has been a part of Jacksonville’s Southside for the past two years.

“I’m really concerned, I’m really scared what happened Sunday morning at my restaurant,” said Osorio.

She says the victim wasn’t just a regular — he was a familiar face who came in for karaoke nights and had been a customer since day one.

“I don’t know what’s going on with our country, nobody cares about each other’s lives and this is a very hard time for me as a business owner, and I have other businesses across Jacksonville and this never happened before,” said Osorio.

Video obtained by First Coast News shows employees yelling for help after the gunfire. Another video shows officers giving aid to the victim outside the restaurant. He was rushed to the hospital and is expected to recover.

“I feel unsafe for my kids, for my customers,” said Osorio.

Since the shooting, Osorio says she has decided to shorten Que Padre’s hours and is planning to add more security cameras. She says she hopes police catch the suspect soon.

“I don’t want this type of thing to happen again,” said Osorio.

JSO says the investigation is ongoing and believes this was an isolated incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact the JSO or remain anonymous by reaching out to Crime Stoppers.