One dead, six injured in Union Township Chick-fil-A shooting

A late-night shooting inside the Chick-fil-A on Route 22 near Gelb Avenue in Union Township left one person dead and six others injured, turning a familiar fast-food stop into a crime scene around 9 p.m. Saturday. Union County prosecutors said officers found seven victims when they arrived; one was pronounced dead and the other six were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

By Sunday afternoon, no arrests had been made, but investigators said the case did not appear to be random and there was no immediate ongoing threat to the public. The restaurant was placed on lockdown after the shooting, and authorities said the early evidence suggested the person who died may have been the intended target while the others were employees or bystanders. Officials familiar with the investigation believed the attack may have been targeted and possibly tied to a drug or gang dispute, though that theory had not been publicly confirmed.

Union Township Mayor Patricia Guerra-Frazier said the community was “heartbroken and shaken,” and urged anyone with information to come forward. Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she had been briefed on the shooting and remained in close contact with local officials, while also thanking first responders for moving quickly into the scene.

Tips can be submitted anonymously to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force or the Union Township Police Department, and Union County Crime Stoppers said information leading to an arrest could qualify for a reward of up to $10,000. For isolated North Slope communities, where a shooting at a restaurant, school event or community facility could mean a longer wait for trauma care and evacuation, the Union Township case is a reminder that the first minutes after gunfire are the most critical.