Two Shot Outside Sanford Barbershop, Both Expected to Recover

A verbal argument that started inside a Sanford barbershop spilled onto Orlando Drive on Saturday afternoon and ended with two people hospitalized after gunfire erupted outside the Seminole Centre shopping plaza, steps from the Walmart at 3567 Orlando Drive.

Barbershop owner Brenda Vizcaino said her staff moved quickly when the confrontation began among a group of three men and a woman inside the shop. "As soon as they see some type of argument happening between them, all the barbers gather and tried to get them outside the barber shop right away," she said. The group was ejected, but the argument did not end there. "Two of them came out first, then the other one came out running and jumped the other," Vizcaino said. Once outside, the dispute turned physical and shots were fired. Vizcaino said her employees and customers were fortunate a bullet did not enter the business.

Natonia Smith, who works nearby, heard the shooting before she could see it. "When I was sitting in the back, I heard 'pow,'" she said. "Then it stopped for like three seconds, then I heard another 'pow.' Then it stopped for like a full minute because they were up here tussling." Smith stepped outside, pulled out her phone, and called police while recording video of what unfolded in front of her. "I've never seen anything like that, up close and personal," she said.

The video Smith and another witness captured shows two men wrestling over a gun outside the barbershop as a woman watches nearby. A third man then approaches to back up one of the participants before the group scatters. Two men, both wearing black shirts, are then seen running to a BMW and speeding away from the Seminole Centre plaza, which was extremely busy at the time of the shooting.

When Sanford Police officers arrived, they found one person outside the barbershop with what appeared to be a gunshot wound and transported that person to a hospital. A second victim, also with non-life-threatening injuries, was already at a separate hospital. Sanford Police said both people who were shot are expected to recover. According to WESH, police indicated that two people injured in the shooting included the suspect.

Sanford Police described the incident as isolated and said it appeared to involve people who knew each other. No suspect names, charges, or arrests have been publicly reported, and the investigation remains ongoing.