Two Key West men were shot by another Key West man in the pre-dawn hours of May 4 when a fight that started over macaroni and cheese at a Greene Street food stand escalated into gunfire.
Key West Police received a call about a fight in the 500 block of Greene Street just before 4 a.m. on May 4. While the caller was speaking with dispatchers, gunshots were heard.
Police responded and found two gunshot victims — DeAngelo Rivas, 25, and Charles Wing, 33,
Wing had been shot in the ankle and was treated and released from Lower Keys Medical Center. Rivas, though, had been shot twice in the abdomen, once in the leg and once in the face, according to the shooter’s arrest report, which the Keys Weekly requested and received from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Rivas was airlifted to a Miami trauma center, where he underwent at least one surgery and was still in critical condition as of May 6.
The shooter was identified as Alijah Helmar, 25, of James Street in Key West.
Detectives met with witnesses, interviewed Helmar and reviewed security footage from nearby bars and businesses to determine what happened to prompt the shooting.
Interviews with Helmar and a witness revealed that a fistfight started over macaroni and cheese from a food cart.
The stories told by Helmar and a witness differ as to how the fight began. Helmar claims the food cart was out of macaroni and cheese, but another customer who was there offered him his. Helmar told police that when he accepted the offered macaroni and cheese, a third man approached and took it from Helmar. Words were exchanged and a fight began.
Helmar told police he was “jumped” by the other men, who began punching him. Fearing for his life, Helmar pulled his gun, for which he said he has a concealed carry permit.
Helmar said he began shooting the man who was punching him, DeAngelo Rivas. He told police he kept shooting until the punching stopped, the arrest report states.
But the witness’s description of how the fight started differs greatly from Helmar’s account, and the security footage seems to match the witness’ statements, detectives wrote in their arrest report.
The witness, a 25-year-old Key West man, showed up at the police station around 10:20 a.m. on Sunday, May 4, about six hours after the shooting and said he was a witness and wanted to make a statement.
The witness told police that he and a friend had ordered and were eating macaroni and cheese and tacos from the cart on Greene Street, when Helmar walked up and said to them, “Let me get that,” meaning their food.
The witness and his friend refused to hand over the food, but Helmar reportedly took the mac and cheese and ate it, saying, “I should smack you right now,” adding a racial expletive.
Helmar told police he was familiar with the people involved in the fight, but did not know their full names.
As the verbal dispute began to escalate into a physical confrontation, Helmar reportedly said, “Be careful, I got my gun with me,” and raised his shirt to reveal a handgun, the report states.
A fight erupted, was broken up, then erupted again, ending with Helmar shooting the two men.
Detectives wrote in their report that video footage from multiple sources appears to align with the witness’ statements about Helmar allegedly starting the argument over food, flashing his gun, being punched by multiple people for about 25 secords, then re-escalating the fight after it had been broken up the first time and ultimately firing his weapon, hitting Rivas four times.
Helmar was arrested and jailed.
He faces a felony charge of attempted murder, two felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor charges of battery, discharge of a firearm in public and disorderly conduct.
The investigation is ongoing and Key West police have not released any reports or names of the victims or witnesses. The information here is from the arrest report filed with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and is public record.
