FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a man at a Mexican restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
According to investigators, Cesar Esquivel Estrada, 46, was taken into custody Tuesday by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Fugitive Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service. An arrest warrant had been issued for Estrada the previous day, police said.
The shooting was reported just before 1:30 a.m. Monday at Antojitos Mexicanos, located at 3943 Davie Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale police Detective Ali Adamson said officers arrived at the scene and found 54-year-old Socorro Camacho with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
6 p.m. report:
Witnesses told Local 10 News that Camacho and Estrada appeared to have been involved in a verbal dispute that escalated over a song that was playing on a jukebox inside the restaurant.
Local 10 News exclusively obtained surveillance video on Tuesday showing the moments Estrada, who was dressed in a red long-sleeve shirt and cowboy hat, appeared to argue with Camacho near the bar of the restaurant.
Initially, the men appeared to be talking, but Estrada was then seen reaching for his waistband, revealing a gun. Camacho was then seen pushing Estrada, causing him to fall to the floor.
Investigators said Estrada stood up and fired a single shot at Camacho before following him behind the bar and shooting him multiple times. Patrons in the restaurant fled the scene as the gunman casually walked away.
A Local 10 News crew was outside the restaurant later in the morning as Camacho’s body was covered with a sheet inside the business.
His body was then wheeled out of the restaurant and transported to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Julian Camacho, the victim’s brother, told Local 10 News that he and others went to the scene looking for Socorro Camacho after he failed to come home from the restaurant.
Julian Camacho said he left but came back around 10 a.m. and noticed his brother’s work truck parked in the back.
Police have not disclosed whether the victim and suspect were known to each other.
Restaurant staff told Local 10′s Sanela Sabovic they were relieved that an arrest was made, describing Camacho as a loyal customer and a person with a good heart.
Jail records show Estrada is facing one count of first-degree murder and is being held at the Broward Main Jail, as of Wednesday morning.
Estrada declined to appear in court Wednesday, where a judge found probable cause and denied him bond.