A man who owns a mobile car detailing business was shot Thursday afternoon on the top floor of a parking deck outside a Birmingham law firm.

The shooting happened about noon in the parking deck of Sirote & Permutt on Southside’s Highland Avenue.

The victim is the owner of Mobile Detailing and Pressure Washing. One of the company’s employees, 27-year-old Calandas Harris, said they always park at the top of the deck on Thursday and nearby workers bring them their vehicles to wash while they are at work.

He said some kind of dispute erupted between one of his co-workers and their boss. The employee pulled out a gun and fired multiple times. Harris said he did not know the nature of the argument.

“I just tried to get out of the way because a bullet ain’t got no names,’’ he said. “The dude shot three or four times.”

He said his boss was struck in the back. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service radio traffic indicated he was shot in the mouth as well, but that has not been confirmed. The victim was alert and conscious when he was transported to the hospital. Harris took his boss his cell phone and his boss told him he was going to be OK.

"It didn’t have to escalate to this,'' Harris said.

A businessman was on the top of the parking deck when the shooting happened. He said he heard multiple shots, and then called 911.

The Birmingham Police Departments K9 Unit was brought to the scene to try to track down the suspect. The cleared the area, but South Precinct Capt. Ron Sellers said they have good identity on the suspect. "The suspect knows who he is. He knows he shot someone. It’s best you come froward and tell your story,'' Sellers said.

A nearby school - Saint Rose Academy - was briefly put on lockdown while police searched for the suspect.