PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A local KFC employee was recently arrested in connection to an alleged shooting that occurred outside a Vancouver KFC restaurant in early January.
Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Kim Kapp told KOIN 6 News that the employee, 18-year-old Jayden Lauser, is believed to have fired a gun outside of the Gher Road restaurant during an argument with customers. No injuries were reported.
“An employee of a KFC who got into an altercation with two patrons and discharged a firearm outside the restaurant during the incident,” Kapp said.
VPD’s Neighborhood Response Team arrested Lauser and seized 10 firearms while serving a search warrant at his home on Jan. 25. Some of the seized weapons were reported to be stolen, while others were unregistered “ghost guns,” police said. Officers also arrested 32-year-old Charles Malvo at the home for an outstanding arrest warrant.
Lauser was booked into the Clark County Jail for charges of aiming and firing a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. Lauser posted $10,000 bail and was released from custody on Jan. 26. Malvo was booked into Clark County Jail for assault, burglary and theft charges. Malvo remains in custody. His bail is set at $515,000.
KOIN reached out to KFC and its parent company Yum! Brands about the incident. A responding spokesperson for the company said that Lauser was immediately terminated by the local franchise owner following the shooting.