Movie Theater Gunman Shot

Deputy shoots gunman at San Antonio movie theater.

This is a story that won’t get nearly as much coverage in the media as it deserves. It’s been making the rounds on the web since it happened on December 16th, but I didn’t hear about it until today.

In San Antonio, Texas, off-duty Bexar County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Lisa Castellano took down 19 year-old Jesus Manuel Garcia with four shots inside the Mayan Palace Theater. Castellano was working security at the time and ran towards the sound of gunshots.

Garcia had shown up with a gun at the restaurant where he and the girlfriend who’d just broken up with him worked. He chased and fired at restaurant employees, shot through the windshield of a patrol car, and ran into the theater where he shot one person before he was stopped by Castellano.

This woman is a hero. As the Sheriff’s spokesman said, “The officer involved, she took the appropriate action to try to keep everyone safe in the movie theater.” She was awarded a medal of valor for her bravery and skills.

Imagine how many lives might have been saved by Sergeant Castellano. This is a domestic violence-based incident that became workplace violence– it often does, but many employers are naive to that fact, thinking DV will stay at home. This then turned into a situation that could have been deadly for the police and also could have become a mass killing situation.

Garcia survived, but thank God for a courageous off-duty cop who knew how to handle a firearm. As I stated in a recent post on gun control, a well-placed bullet can stop just such a shooter and in this case it did.

The same is true of an incident in Abilene, Texas just a few days ago, http://bigcountryhomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=558612. On Christmas a woman’s estranged boyfriend tried to break in, then fled when the police were on the way. He returned later and did break in. He assaulted her with two children, including a newborn, present. She shot and killed him with a handgun she legally possessed.

Once again, a woman who knows how to shoot saved lives. She did what she had to do to protect herself and her family. It turns out he had a serious criminal record including a conviction for attempted murder. (She might not have known that– how many people actually do a background check on the person they’re dating? Trust me, it’s worth finding out. The smooth talkers who say they have nothing to hide usually do. It’s possible she obtained the gun when she learned his true nature too.)

Not only would it be unreasonable and illogical to condemn the use of deadly force in these situations, it would be unjust and probably lethal for the victims. These women did the right thing– they stood up to abusive assailants hell-bent on their own twisted version of vengeance and stopped them.

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Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.
-Harry Emerson Fosdick

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