LAKE COUNTY, Florida — A jury in Lake County found 26-year-old Alex Lopez guilty of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm in the 2024 killing of 51-year-old Raied Shihadeh. Judge Brian Welke sentenced Lopez to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The incident occurred on May 30, 2024, at a convenience store on Picciola Road in Leesburg, Florida. Surveillance footage showed a masked individual entering the store, brandishing a firearm, shooting Shihadeh, taking money from the cash register and a vape product, and fleeing the scene.
Shihadeh sustained gunshot wounds and was transported by helicopter to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. At the time of the shooting, Shihadeh was on a FaceTime call with his wife.
Public tips identified Lopez as the suspect. An arrest warrant was issued, and Lopez was apprehended on June 26, 2024, at a motel in Kissimmee, Florida.
The case was prosecuted by the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. The death penalty was not sought.
SOURCE: Florida 5th Circuit Court
