BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. -- A shooting outside Bethlehem Cafe in Blue Springs left one person dead Thursday morning, according to Blue Springs police.
Around 11:15 a.m., officers responded to a shots fired call at the restaurant on NW Woods Chapel Road. The victim, who was found in the parking lot, later died at the hospital.
Blue Springs Police Chief Bob Muenz said after shooting the victim, the suspect ran down to a Taco Bell and KFC parking lot and tried to steal someone's car. The person in that vehicle was not injured, and officers were able to take the suspect into custody at that time.
Employees at Bethlehem Cafe were just getting ready for the lunch rush when the shooting occurred. Waiter Michelle Lyons didn't hear the shots fired, but she saw the aftermath, including a group of women there for lunch who tried to save the victim's life.
"The ladies were covering his wound in the front with their sweatshirt, and then the other lady started CPR, and they kind of backed up when emergency got here and took over," she said.
Bethlehem Cafe had to close its doors for more than three hours on Thursday. Lyons told 41 Action News all of the employees are trying to process what they saw, and they're also thinking about the victim's family.
"The family members of that man...I can't imagine what they're going to go through today," she said.
Authorities did not immediately disclose the identity of the suspect or the victim. They're still investigating what prompted the shooting.
