Victim recounts confrontation before 2024 Columbia restaurant shooting
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The victim of a 2024 shooting inside a Buffalo Wild Wings in Columbia testified Wednesday that he lost his left eye to a bullet.
Alexis Gonzalez, 38, of Orlando, Florida, was charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon after he was accused of shooting Gary Bitsicas in the face on Aug. 17, 2024.
The shooting inside the Buffalo Wild Wings followed an altercation outside of the restaurant between Bitsicas and Gonzalez’s girlfriend because she and Gonzalez allegedly didn’t pay their bar tab. The couple tried to walk out after a bartender cut Gonzalez off for being too drunk, prosecutors allege. The state says the shooting was intentional, but Gonzalez’s defense says the shot was fired accidentally.
Bitsicas testified that he regretted the encounter, which prosecutors and the defense played on video in court.
“I’m ashamed, I am. I shouldn’t have called her names. I should have just recorded and shut up,” Bitsicas said.
However, the defense suggested Bitsicas’ behavior when he returned inside after the fight had been broken up outside painted a different picture.
“When you walked back inside to your friends and flexed your muscles, you were acting like you had just won a fight?” said Jeff Hilbrenner, Gonzalez’s attorney.
Bitsicas explained the actions as him feeling like he had “just survived a beating.” He also testified that he had drunk several beers that night.
“I had got the evidence that was necessary to hold them accountable,” Bitsicas said.
The defense also questioned Bitsicas movement in the direction of Gonzalez when Gonzalez came back inside after grabbing his gun. Bitsicas said he was trying to get to the front entrance to leave and Gonzalez was in his path. He later testified he was concerned Gonzalez would possibly hurt others in the restaurant.
“I was protecting the people behind me, I thought he was coming for the bartender, and I was protecting everybody in that restaurant,” Bitsicas said.
Hillbrenner said Gonzalez had only returned to find his girlfriend’s phone.
“Is it a surprise to you that the owner of that cell phone, or the boyfriend of the owner of that cell phone, would come looking for that cell phone?” Hilbrener asked Bitsicas.
“It wouldn’t surprise me, no,” Bitsicas responded.
Bitsicas testified that his memory of the incident stops right before the gun was fired.
Gonzalez faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.