Woman shot in drive-thru of west Phoenix Whataburger by ex-boyfriend, police say

PHOENIX - Police are searching for a suspect after they say a woman was shot by her ex-boyfriend while in the drive-thru at a Whataburger restaurant in Phoenix on Jan. 3.

The victim was inside her car near 75th Avenue and McDowell Road around 10:30 a.m. when the suspect shot her in the hip. She's expected to be OK.

A witness at the scene told FOX 10 they heard gunshots and saw the woman running away. The witness also said they heard the suspect yelling at the victim to come back.

The suspect has been identified, but police will not release his name until he is in custody.

"Right now because it's still an active investigation. Detectives are still working to locate that suspect. We don't want to put out any information on what his motives were or criminal history at this time," Phoenix Police Sgt. Brian Bower said.

'It doesn't surprise me at all'

Estevan Orona Lopez lives in the area and says he's not shocked by this.

"I'm not surprised honestly. It happens every now and then. People shoot in the air, in the sky, anything. It's just crazy out here. It doesn't surprise me at all," he said.

Sgt. Bower explained a bit more about what happened.

"There was an adult female victim that was in the drive-thru at one of those restaurants, just trying to pick up some food. Out of nowhere, who our investigators have identified as her ex-boyfriend, came to the vehicle, fired one shot at her," Bower said.

The victim, whose name will not be released, had reportedly just left her boyfriend's house and was picking up food on the way home.

A sergeant says after the victim was shot, she got out of the car, ran west, and came into the front entrance of the business to get help.

"It's honestly sad, but when you live in this area, you kind of get used to those things, so it's an everyday occurrence nowadays," Lopez said.

A witness says he was at the drive-thru window when his car was hit by the shooting victim's car. Once he heard the gunshot, he pulled over and called 911.