GRAND MOUND, Wash. — A man panhandling outside a Thurston County McDonald's was shot and killed after getting into a fistfight with a group of men in a car, police said.
Police responded at about 5:20 p.m. to the McDonald’s in Grand Mound, about 20 minutes south of Olympia, for a reported shooting.
Two men were panhandling when a carload of men who "had a beef" with one of the panhandlers drove up, said Thurston County Sheriff's Lt. Ray Brady.
A fistfight between one of the men from the car and one of the panhandlers started in the parking lot between the McDonald's and the 76 Gas Station. The fight escalated and the man from the car pulled out a gun and shot one of the panhandlers, Lt. Brady said.
Apparently, the group of men had their issue with the other panhandler, not the one that was killed, said Lt. Brady.
The shooter was taken into custody and booked into jail on a 2nd-degree murder charge, officials said. Authorities did not release the name of the suspect, they only said he is 59-years-old and from the Rochester area.
The identity of the man who was shot has also not been released, authorities only said it was a man in his 40's.
No one else was involved or injured in the incident.
Officials said it's unclear what the original dispute was that led the fight.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.