Investigators said the shooting may have started as an attempted ambush that wounded two bystanders.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Police searched Saturday night for a suspect after gunfire outside a Hallandale Beach McDonald’s wounded a father and his 11-year-old daughter, authorities said.
The investigation centered on whether someone had been waiting in the parking lot to ambush another person. Police said the father and daughter were not the intended targets. They were sitting in their vehicle while the girl’s mother was inside the restaurant getting food.
The shooting happened Saturday afternoon at the McDonald’s at 835 West Hallandale Beach Boulevard. Police said an altercation began in the parking lot after the family arrived. When shots were fired, the father and daughter were struck inside their vehicle. “We do believe that one of the parties involved was a McDonald’s employee,” Hallandale Beach police Capt. Megan Jones said.
Officials said the girl was conscious and alert after the shooting. She and her father were taken to a hospital in stable condition. Police did not release their names. Investigators also did not identify the person believed to have been targeted in the shooting or explain what led to the confrontation. The suspect remained at large late Saturday.
Detectives stayed at the restaurant for hours, reviewing surveillance footage and collecting evidence. Police also conducted a house-to-house search nearby. The restaurant sits along a busy stretch of West Hallandale Beach Boulevard, a main road with fast-food restaurants, shops and heavy weekend traffic. The shooting briefly turned the area into a crime scene as officers blocked off the lot.
The case remains in the early stages. Police had not announced charges, recovered weapons publicly or released a suspect description. Investigators were working to determine whether one or more people fired shots and whether the employee mentioned by police was the intended target or otherwise involved in the dispute.
Jones said the father and daughter were caught in a situation that did not involve them. Police said that point shaped the investigation as detectives worked to separate the victims from the people involved in the original confrontation. The mother, who had gone inside to get food, was not reported injured.
Hallandale Beach police remained the lead agency, with the Broward Sheriff’s Office confirming its role was not primary. The next milestone in the case is the release of a suspect description, arrest information or an updated condition for the child and her father.
Author note: Last updated June 28, 2026.