Fast food worker killed days before his 18th birthday, VA cops say. The suspect is now identified

An outgoing teenager who had just started a job at a fast-food restaurant was killed days before his 18th birthday, Virginia media reported.

“This was my boy getting his life back,” the teen’s mother, Veronica Fullerton, told the Virginian-Pilot. “He was excited. He was looking forward to his birthday and his first paycheck at Rally's.

But 17-year-old Brian Fullerton's life was cut short when a fight broke out at his workplace on Nov. 22, the day before Thanksgiving. The teen was shot at the restaurant and died of his injuries at the hospital, according to media reports and the Hampton Division of Police.

Now, weeks after the shooting, police announced that an “armed and dangerous” suspect had been identified. In a Dec. 13 news release, police did not share information from the man's attorney, identified as 25-year-old Elijah James-Sanders.

Rally's did not immediately respond to McClatchy News' request for comment on Dec. 14.

The shooting was reported at Rally's Restaurant in Hampton, near Norfolk. The suspected shooter is accused of leaving the scene, prompting police and his loved ones to turn to the public for help.

“I'm just begging the community if they can help find Brian's killer because we're urging it,” the teen's mother, who WAVY identified as Veronica Fullerton Fagan, told the TV station. “Brian was a good boy. Brian was my child, I love him and I would like the killer to be found for Brian's murder.

Brian Fullerton, who was adopted, was reunited with his biological mother a few weeks before her death. He is remembered as a talkative high school student who worked at Rally's to earn extra money before moving to North Carolina, according to The Virginian-Pilot and an online obituary.

“He was a vivacious, warm-hearted teenager who overcame a difficult beginning to become a hard-working and gregarious student at Hampton High School, a JROTC participant, and a member of Sharon Baptist Church,” those close to him wrote in the post. on Nickelson. -Cummings Funeral Home website.

The Hampton Division of Police did not immediately share additional details about the teen's shooting death with McClatchy News. On December 13, James-Sanders was wanted in the case.

The suspect, a Newport News resident, reportedly had “warrants on file for one count each of 2nd degree murder, burglary with intent to commit assault, use of a weapon firearm to commit a crime, discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling and wearing a mask in public. Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 757-727-6111, the Crime Line at 888-562-5887 or visit P3tips.com.

Hammer-wielding man attacks McDonald's employee, then flees, Virginia officials say

McDonald's worker with knife robs customer in restaurant bathroom, West Virginia cops say