What happened at Coquette Restaurant? GoFundMe raises over $18,000 amid North Hills restaurant tragedy

On Friday, January 17, 2025, a mass shooting was reported at Coquette Brasserie in North Hills, Raleigh, resulting in one death and two injuries. Following this shooting incident, a GoFundMe page was established for the benefit of Coquette employees targeted in the shooting. As of now, it has collected over $18,000.

The shooting occurred before the restaurant was set to open for lunch at 10:57 a.m. The Raleigh Police Department (RPD) reported that a man entered the restaurant and shot 26-year-old Jonathan Mark Schaffer, who died from his injuries at the scene.

Another victim, Jonathan Aguilar Vega, 24 years old, who was reported to have non-life-threatening injuries, was treated and released from the hospital. The identified suspected shooter is George Colom, and he also received a self-inflicted gunshot wound that put him in critical condition.

Speaking with WRAL News, Aguilar stated:

"We were having our daily meeting before the shift began. One of our employees had brought in a cake to celebrate a bartender's birthday. She was cutting the cake, and moments later, I was shot."

The police also claimed that all shots were fired inside the restaurant, and people who were involved in the fight were known to each other. So, the crime was not related to a random act of violence.

Neighbors of Schaffer say they are saddened by the loss of a friendly figure who would walk his dog throughout the area. A neighbor described her grief by stating to ABC11:

"It just tears me up to know it happened to him. It breaks my heart to think that it happened in our neighborhood. I just don't know about the world anymore."

Several schools in Wake County had to go on lockdown following the incident, but the measures have been lifted since the situation was said to be secure.

According to ABC 11, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson stated that such a case seldom occurred in North Hills, and the public was ensured that there wasn't a further threat to the community's safety.

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Fundraising efforts

Local server Hannah Smith is organizing the fundraiser. The event is targeted at raising money to help workers of Coquette who were impacted by the shooting. So far, the crowdfunding campaign has collected over $18,000 as of January 19, 2025.

The overall amount collected surpassed the target of $15,000. Since the community showed much interest, the target has increased to $30,000.

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Ongoing investigation into the Coquette restaurant shooting

This tragic shooting in the Coquette Restaurant in North Hills, Raleigh, is under an ongoing investigation headed by RPD.

The shooting investigation is still in process; the police are trying to gather all information about what led to this incident.

The law enforcement agencies have undermined no motives; however, the police must establish relationships among those involved.

As the community mourns this loss, many are advocating for increased awareness about workplace violence and mental health support within the high-stress environment of restaurants.

Experts are saying that one way to avoid such incidents is to recognize changes in the behavior of their colleagues.