A man’s search for his stolen vehicle led to a shocking gunfight at a Texas parking lot that claimed the life of the alleged thief. The incident occurred at the South Park Mall in San Antonio on Thursday afternoon.
As the man and his passenger exited the mall around 1 p.m., they were stunned to discover their Ford truck missing. Determined to retrieve their stolen property, they managed to track down the vehicle to another parking lot within the mall premises. To their surprise, they found a male and a female sitting inside the truck. They held the suspects at gunpoint and waited for the police to arrive.
However, things escalated when the thief, who had a gun of his own, shot the original vehicle owner. In self-defense, the owner returned fire and hit both suspects. The male thief died at the scene, while the owner and the woman were taken to a local hospital in stable and critical condition, respectively.
Authorities are now investigating the incident, describing it as a case of self-defense. Nevertheless, questions linger about the events that transpired during the brief time between the call to 911 and the deadly exchange of gunfire.
The deceased thief’s brother, Jose Garcia, challenged the car owner’s actions, labeling him a vigilante rather than a hero. He argued that taking someone’s life over a vehicle was not justified, no matter the circumstances.
“The guy who shot him is a vigilante, not a hero,” Garcia said according to local station KENS-5. “A vehicle is not worth taking someone’s life, I don’t care what kind of car it is. You don’t take the law into your own hands. Now my mom, my family, we all have to suffer and just deal with it.”
