JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Police are trying to figure out exactly what led to a deadly shooting Thursday night at a popular Jacksonville Beach restaurant.
One man was shot and killed outside Nippers Beach Grille on Beach Boulevard during a motorcycle event Thursday night.
Nippers, a well-known bar and grill on the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway, was packed at about 8 p.m. when gunfire broke out in the parking lot that the restaurant shares with Billy's Boathouse and Beach Marine.
Police believe they have the shooter in custody and the man he shot died at the scene.
Many of the restaurant patrons were shocked and saddened after witnessing the shooting.
"It is a bit surreal, because I did actually see the guy die," witness David Johnson said. "I saw his face. I saw him turning purple. I saw him convulsing. I saw the gun shot wound and the blood coming out. It was not expected, especially for this area."
Johnson was bike riding with his brother to show him what Jacksonville Beach had to offer, but instead they saw something they called horrifying.
Police said two men at the event got into a fight and one of the men pulled a gun and shot the other in the face four times. Johnson said it was a surreal experience.
"There wasn't a lot of yelling or fighting or screaming or chaos everyone was calm. The guy who shot the individual there was in an altercation because his nose was bloody but he surrendered peacefully and when someone asked who shot the gu,y he said 'I did' and didn't try to run away or anything," said Johnson.
Police said they have a man in custody who they believe did the shooting but are still interviewing him as well as several witnesses. Nippers is a popular restaurant in Jacksonville Beach so many are shocked that that type of violence happened there, including the police chief.
"It can happen anywhere. It's unfortunate that certain people feel the need to solve differences with violence, it's a sign of our times right now its horrible it shouldn't be happening this way," said Chief Pat Dooley.
An emergency helicopter landed at the scene to try to help the man who was shot but police said unfortunately it was too late and he died at the scene.
Police are still investigating the incident.