About a month after the murder, authorities stated that a guy had been taken into custody on suspicion of robbing and killing a store owner in Leesburg.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement detained Wildwood resident Alez Lopez, 25, on Wednesday in the Kissimmee region. He is charged with killing 51-year-old Raied Shihadeh on May 30 at the M&M Food Mart while he was handling the register.
After the heist, which occurred shortly after 9 p.m., Shihadeh’s family was upset and organized a fundraiser to aid in the search for Lopez, who is also suspected of robbing the business that evening.
When Shihadeh was killed, he and his wife were also chatting on Facetime.
“He was there working hard for his family,” Monique Shihadeh, Raied Shihadeh’s wife stated. “And this scum of the earth came in and took him from us.”
Once captured, Lopez will be charged with several offenses, such as murder, armed robbery, possessing a firearm while a felon, and using a handgun while committing a crime.
Lopez is seen on surveillance footage allegedly shooting the clerk multiple times as he enters the convenience shop, hops over the counter, and eventually leaves.
Read Also: 118 Haitian Migrants Fleeing by Boat Spotted by U.S. Border Patrol Near Florida
With at least one gunshot wound, Shihadeh was discovered comatose on the ground. After being brought to a hospital, he passed away.
Lopez has open cases in Sumter County, according to court records. He was taken into custody twice in November on charges of violence, burglary, and grand theft of a car. February saw his release from prison. Lopez had also been convicted of felonies in the past for grand theft and burglary in Lake County since 2020.
