A man shot in his forearm during a traffic dispute along Pines Boulevard is facing charges after an investigation revealed he punched the shooter in the face before the gunfire, police said.
Reynaldo Silvio Lopez, 52, of Coral Springs, remained hospitalized Tuesday night. He faces charges of felony battery and burglary of a vehicle, police said, following a traffic incident at West Fork Plaza and Pines Boulevard.
About 4:15 p.m. Monday, Lopez pulled out from the right turn lane in front of a vehicle driven by Kenneth Parris, 71, of Davie, an arrest report said. Lopez then began to intentionally brake, causing Parris to slam on his brakes to avoid rear-ending Lopez’s vehicle.
Lopez stopped his vehicle in traffic along the 15800 block of Pines Boulevard, forcing Parris to stop as well, the report said. Lopez then got out of his vehicle, walked to Parris and the two began to argue.
Lopez said, “Do you think you’re a tough guy?” and after Parris replied, Lopez reached through Parris’ driver’s side window and punched him on the left side of his face, the report said.
While still seated inside his vehicle, Parris fired his gun, the report said. Both men called 911 and ended up pulling into the Walgreens parking lot at 15911 Pines Blvd., said Capt. Al Xiques.
Lopez was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he told police he was involved in a traffic dispute but denied punching Parris, the report said. Parris, who has a concealed firearms permit, cooperated with investigators and was not facing charges Tuesday.
After the shooting, Lopez may have entered the Walgreens seeking help. The store closed Monday after the shooting, but reopened Tuesday morning. At midday, one checkout lane was cordoned off with crime scene tape as two workers replaced carpet by the front door that was stained with blood.
Assistant store manager Vanessa Giraldo said she could not comment on the incident.
The Walgreens is located about four miles south of Parris’ home in the Hawkes Bluff section of the Ivanhoe development, east of Dykes Road. There was no response Tuesday to a knock on the door at his home in the 15600 block of Carriage Court.
“This is very stunning for all of us,” said Donna Gruntler, who for 16 years has lived two doors away from the well-tended home where Parris lives with his wife, Janice. “He is very friendly, easygoing, This is very bizarre to us.”
Gruntler said she could not imagine the circumstances which would get her normally serene neighbor to shoot at someone. “Knowing him, it would almost have to be self-defense,” said Gruntler.
