CINCINNATI — An employee was fatally shot inside of a Papa Johns location in West Price Hill Tuesday night, according to Cincinnati police.
Police still had the Papa Johns on W. 8th Street taped off into the early morning hours Wednesday.
By Wednesday around 11 a.m., the location's doors were locked, but one person was inside the restaurant.
According to Cincinnati police, officers were dispatched to the Papa Johns at around 11 p.m. Tuesday night for a report of a person shot.
Watch: What we've learned about the shooting and suspect from police
Police said when officers got there, they found 23-year-old Nawaf Althawadi suffering from a gunshot wound. Althawadi died at the scene, according to police.
Police have arrested 21-year-old Murphy Tilk and charged him with murder.
Police have not released any information on what led up to the shooting.
In court Wednesday morning, the judge ordered Tilk to be held without bond until a bond hearing on Saturday.
According to a spokesperson for Papa Johns, the West Price Hill location is owned and operated by an independent franchisee.
"We are saddened by this tragic loss of a team member," the spokesperson said. "Our thoughts go out to the victim’s family members, teammates and friends during this difficult time."
The spokesperson said the local restaurant team is assisting authorities as the investigation continues.
"The safety of team members and customers is a top priority for Papa Johns and our independent franchisees," the spokesperson said.
The manager of a neighboring business described Althawadi as a "happy-go-lucky" person and "one of the nicest people" she had ever met. She said she knew Althawadi and Tilk to be friendly with one another, leaving her confused about what happened.
"Whether it was an accident or frustration, so many things are lost in that moment. The innocence of kids are lost in that moment, the security and safety that you once felt in a place is lost in that moment," Steven Easley, owner of another neighboring business, said.
Easley said he did not know Althawadi well, but had a few interactions with him inside the Papa Johns location previously.
"When I came into work today, it was kind of heavy thinking, 'Wow. How do we look at this and learn from it and understand it?'" he said. "It's very sad to see this happen to them and their family."
