A McDonald's worker in the United States was shot in the neck and critically wounded after allegedly getting into an argument with a customer over cold french fries.

According to the Independent, the victim, identified as 23-year-old Matthew Webb, was working at the fast-food joint in New York on Monday evening when a woman said the fries served to her were cold. The customer was on a video call with her son during the altercation. The 20-year-old son then shortly reached the McDonald's outlet and started arguing with the employee.

"The mom complained that the fries were cold," the police told New York Post. "The mom was on FaceTime with her son, and he heard the dispute between her and the clerk. The son and the clerk got into a dispute inside, and it went outside," the official added.

This is when the dispute escalated and the son shot Mr Webb in the neck with a 9mm handgun. The employee was immediately rushed to the Brookdale hospital, where he remains in critical condition, the Independent reported.

The suspected gunman, on the other hand, has been identified as Michael Morgan. He was arrested after he fled the scene. The cops informed that Mr Morgan also has a record of 12 prior arrests.

Mr Morgan's mother reportedly told the cops that she heard the gunshot but did not see the shooting. "She must have been in shock because she was giving out all the information about what happened," an eyewitness told New York Daily. Another said, "I feel like crying. You shot someone over french fries?"

One eyewitness even described the scene following the shooting. A man took off his shirt and put it on the neck of the victim to try to stop the bleeding. "He couldn't talk. He was just shaking. His chest was heaving. He was still breathing when they put him on the stretcher," one witness added.

Meanwhile, in another similar incident, back in June, a Subway worker in the US was shot dead after an argument with a customer about "too much mayonnaise on his sandwich".