Bradenton man sentenced to 20 years in Oneco Rose Bar shooting, records show
A Bradenton man who prosecutors say shot two customers during a bar fight in a widely circulated social media video has been sentenced to prison.
A Manatee County judge sentenced 22-year-old Devin Waiters to 20 years in prison after he pleaded no contest to attempted murder charges and a related firearm offense in the bar shooting, according to court records.
Under Florida law, attempted murder with a firearm carries a 20-year minimum mandatory term.
An attorney representing Waiters did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Shooter sentenced in Oneco bar fight
The charges stem from a Sept. 12, 2023, shooting inside the Oneco Rose Bar, formerly located at 103 Cortez Road, where sheriff’s deputies said Waiters opened fire after getting into a fight with another customer.
Video footage of the shooting posted on social media drew public attention to the case.
Investigators said the fight began when another patron punched Waiters and the two were separated by others inside the bar. Deputies said Waiters then pulled out a handgun and fired toward the man he had been fighting as the victim tried to take cover behind the bar.
Two patrons were struck by gunfire, according to investigators. The intended target suffered non-life-threatening injuries, as did another customer who deputies said was hit as a bystander.
Video of the shooting, later posted on social media, appeared to show a handgun being drawn and multiple shots fired inside the crowded bar as others attempted to break up the fight.
Detectives wrote in an arrest report that Waiters took “careful aim” by using two hands to point the gun as he shot in the direction of the victim. However, in the video posted online, the shooter appears to use only one hand to fire the gun.
Deputies said Waiters fled the bar after the shooting, leaving behind one of his shoes. He was later identified through surveillance footage, according to an arrest report. According to investigators, Waiters’ mother called 911 hours later and reported her son had been involved in the shooting, which led to his arrest the following day.
At the time of his arrest, deputies said Waiters was wearing the same gold chain seen in the surveillance video and had fresh injuries, including a cut above his left eye.
