Update: This article was updated to include why Brewer and Hicks were arguing. The story will be updated as more information becomes available.
A Waffle House was open for business and serving families as usual Sunday morning despite a murder happening several hours earlier.
There were no signs that a 41-year-old man was shot in the head and killed at the restaurant.
At about 3 a.m., Craig Arttez Brewer, of Gainesville, was paying for customers’ orders and passing out $20 bills inside the Waffle House, at 7611 West Newberry Road, according to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
A woman began to argue with Brewer because he did not pay for her meal, the report said.
Ezekiel Luke Hicks, 25, of Gainesville, who was with the woman, also began to argue with Brewer.
Hicks left the restaurant and got a 9 mm handgun, deputies said. Despite a bystander trying to stop him, Hicks went back into the restaurant and immediately went to Brewer. A fight started near the entrance.
During the fight, Hicks pulled the handgun out from his pants and shot Brewer in the head.
The incident was captured on surveillance video, the release said. The handgun was also found at the Waffle House.
Deputies arrested Hicks near the restaurant, the release said.
An employee at the restaurant declined to answer questions and referred an Alligator reporter to corporate.
Employees working the morning shift were told not to speak about the incident or why the restaurant was open.
Hicks was charged with first-degree murder and concealing an unlicensed firearm. His bond will be set in court Monday.
Hicks
