FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Gray News) – A man accused of fatally shooting another man at a Florida restaurant after an argument over a jukebox song is facing murder charges.
Police say an argument between two men, 46-year-old Cesar Esquivel Estrada and 54-year-old Socorro Camacho, escalated into gun violence. The incident happened just before 1:30 a.m. last Monday at Antojitos Mexicanos, a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, according to WTVJ.
Mauro Bonilla, who frequents the restaurant, says his friends who were there at the time told him it began when Estrada started playing a song on the jukebox, WFOR reports. Socorro Comacho then went up to him and allegedly said, “You’re not a real Mexican if you play that music.”
As the argument escalated, Estrada reportedly pulled out a gun and started shooting. Socorro Camacho, who was shot multiple times, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WPLG.
“It’s just sad because this is a good neighborhood, and it never happens,” Bonilla told WFOR. “I’m very shocked that someone got shot there and killed.”
After the shooting, Estrada ran off, the restaurant’s manager told WFOR. An arrest warrant was issued for him last Monday, and he was taken into custody the next day.
The victim’s brother, Julian Camacho, told WTVJ his family knew something was wrong when they couldn’t get in touch with him. He says he is devastated by his brother’s death since he was the only family he had in Florida.
“I only know they fought over a song, and that is it,” he said in Spanish.
Police have not disclosed whether the victim and suspect were known to each other.
Restaurant staff told WPLG they are relieved an arrest was made, describing Socorro Comacho as a loyal customer and a person with a good heart.
Estrada is charged with first-degree murder, among other charges. He is being held without bail.
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