LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Okolona community is still shaken after police say 24-year-old Ronald Winter shot a manager inside a Texas Roadhouse Thursday evening during a confrontation over an unpaid bill.
Zelia Vandiver’s dinner with a group of friends from her church came to an abrupt stop when a gunshot rang out inside the restaurant.
"All of a sudden I heard one of the waitresses or somebody that works there say get down really loud, and everybody just got down on the floor," Vandiver said.
She said the experience was terrifying.
"It was just very difficult to go through," she said. "It was frightening."
Louisville Metro Police said officers responded around 6:11 p.m. to the restaurant at 3322 Old Outer Loop and arrived to find a man, who was shot in the shoulder.
The man was taken to UofL Hospital with injuries police believe to be non-life-threatening.
According to court documents, Winter tried to leave the restaurant without paying when the victim — who is believed to be the store manager — grabbed his arm.
The employee said when Winter tried to reach for his waistband, he tried to tackle Winter to the ground. That's when the gunshot went off.
Police also said Winter had previously left the same Texas Roadhouse without paying earlier this week, though they did not release additional details about that incident.
Texas Roadhouse later said the injured employee was stable.
"We would like to express our gratitude to the LMPD and first responders for their swift response to the incident that occurred at our Okolona location in Louisville on Thursday evening," the company said in a statement. "We can share that our employee who was injured is stable."
Winter fled the scene and was found a few hours later off Highway 44 in Shepherdsville.
Metro Councilwoman Ginny Mulvey-Woolridge represents District 24 — which includes Okolona. She said the shooting has left many in the community concerned, and that she was especially shocked to learn the confrontation started over an unpaid bill.
"I know that has to bring fear into them as well as fear into the community of, is this going to happen again at a restaurant?" she said.
Although the act of dining and dashing is common, Mulvey-Woolridge she said the violence that followed was not.
"Someone bringing a gun into that situation is not something you hear about, and I'm glad we don't hear about it all the time," she said. "But I'm concerned that someone felt it was OK to take it to that level."
Winter is charged with second-degree assault and is scheduled to appear in court June 25.
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