An argument inside a Hyattsville McDonald’s on the evening of March 1, 2025, ended in a fatal shooting. Ricardo Clemons Jr., 45, was found inside the restaurant on University Boulevard around 8:25 p.m. with a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Prince George’s County investigators say the dispute began after security guard Murwanashyaka Francois, 54, asked Clemons to leave. When Clemons refused, Francois allegedly deployed pepper spray, a physical fight followed in which Francois struck Clemons with a baton, and Francois then shot him. Prosecutors say there was no evidence Clemons was armed or posed a genuine threat to the guard. Francois, an armed security guard employed by a third-party firm contracted by the McDonald’s, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and related firearm offenses and is being held without bond.

Anyone who witnessed the encounter or has information about what led to the shooting is asked to come forward.