FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Employees of Shooters Waterfront held a private memorial Wednesday morning, a day after a server was shot dead following what police say was an argument with a former worker at the popular Fort Lauderdale restaurant.
Angel Candelaria, 33, was arrested about two hours after the killing, detectives said, and faces a first-degree murder charge. He appeared Wednesday before a Broward County judge, who found probable cause and ordered him held without bond.
Police have identified the victim as Jordan Siddiq, 35, who lived in Weston. He was shot two times and rushed to Broward Health Medical Center by Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
Local 10 News spoke with Christine Siddiq, Jordan’s sister, who called him “selfless” and “a friend to anyone and everyone that needed a friend.”
“He helped my dad purchase and run Sterling Dry Cleaners on University and Sterling in Davie,” Christine Siddiq said. “[He] was selfless and the best son. My father is handicapped, and Jordan always took him to lunch and helped him with whatever he needed. He was the best big brother, was always there to listen to me and give me advice for whatever I needed. He graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas with honors in high school, was a major animal lover, rescued two cats from a kill shelter. ... He had an infectious smile and laugh, always positive, always happy. He loved life.”
Friends and co-workers say Siddiq had just started his shift as a server when he was shot at the restaurant’s tiki bar. Police say he got to Shooters at about 3:45 and was confronted by Candelaria, a Fort Lauderdale resident, and an argument escalated.
“The two spoke for several minutes when the suspect suddenly pulled out a handgun and shot Siddiq one time,” police wrote in an arrest affidavit. “The suspect started to walk away when he turned around and walked back and shot Siddiq a second time. The suspect then walked out of the restaurant.”
The gunfire, which police said rang out at about 4:18 p.m. at the restaurant located at 3033 Northeast 32nd Avenue, created a chaotic scene as customers dined nearby.
It also sparked a manhunt complete with armored trucks and snipers.
Candelaria was arrested at 5:59 p.m. on the fifth floor of a parking garage about three miles away at 2400 E. Commercial Blvd., detectives said.
Police say that from the back seat of a patrol car, Candelaria used his Apple watch to call his ex-girlfriend (telling her “I love you to death”) and an unknown male (saying to him, “I’m going to jail, bro”).
He remains at the Broward Main Jail.
Local 10 News stopped by a listed address for Candelaria’s family on Wednesday and they declined to comment.
“Walking up to somebody and putting two in their back, at Shooters Waterfront, that’s the most senseless s--- you could’ve done,” a restaurant employee said of the shooting.
Peter Lopez, Shooters’ director of operations, confirmed that the dispute was between a current and a former employee and said the restaurant is “fully cooperating with authorities.”
The restaurant remains closed as friends and co-workers continue to mourn the loss of Siddiq.
“The guy was more than a server,” one restaurant employee said. “That guy, that guy was a character. That guy was something, he was special.”
“He made everyone’s day better all the time, never got in a bad mood,” added friend Bobby Person, who said he would miss Siddiq’s “positivity” the most.
Fort Lauderdale detectives are asking the public’s help to collect video of the incident, saying it can be uploaded by clicking here.
Witnesses or others with information about the incident are urged to call Detective Sergeant Steve Novak at 954-828-5556 or Detective Michael Benson at 954-828-6561. Information can be provided anonymously by contacting Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by Siddiq’s family.