Dad orders 4-year-old to shoot at police at McDonald's drive-thru, cops say

A 4-year-old child allegedly fired a gun at police officers on instructions from his father during a dispute over a food order at a drive-thru.

The shooting took place on Monday afternoon at a McDonald’s in the Salt Lake City suburb of Midvale, Utah.

The Unified Police Department said a man went through a drive-thru at around 1:30 p.m. and after receiving an incorrect order, he pulled a gun and pointed it at the employees.

The employees asked the man to pull to the front of the store while they corrected the order.  Instead, they called 911.

Officers approached the vehicle and told the man to get out, but they claim he did not cooperate, so officers opened the door and pulled him from the car.

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While taking the man into custody, an officer turned back toward the vehicle and saw a gun pointing out from the rear window.

The officer warned the other officers there was a gun while swiping the gun to the side as a round was fired and the bullet didn't hit anyone.

Police said that the dad had instructed the 4-year-old child to shoot the officers. The child was in the backseat with a three-year-old sibling.

The officer who hit the gun received a minor injury on his arm.  No one else was hurt.

The father remained in custody.

Sheriff Rosie Rivera said, "This is a sad day for law enforcement and our community. To have an adult think it is okay to encourage a four-year-old to pull a firearm and shoot at police illustrates how out of hand the campaign against police has gotten. This needs to stop and we need to come together as a community to find solutions to the challenges we face in our neighborhoods. Officers are here to protect and serve and we are beyond belief that something like could happen."