It’s been a rough week in the Lone Star State. Last week there was a murder-suicide at an office in Dallas. Then on Monday, a knife-wielding attacker left one person dead and three wounded at the University of Texas at Austin (perhaps stopped by a person with a concealed handgun, although the traditional media is disputing this.) Then another murder-suicide at North Lake College followed by an incident last night in Arlington, where a murderer was definitely laid low by a Texan with a Concealed Handgun License.
James Jones, 48, got into a dispute with Cesar Perez, 37, the manager of the Zona Caliente sports bar in Arlington. Words were exchanged and things escalated to the point where Jones pulled a handgun, shooting Mr. Perez.
Witnessing this, an unidentified patron presented his own concealed firearm and brought down the bad guy on the spot. Unfortunately, Mr. Perez died on the scene. Fortunately, his murderer did as well.
According to Lt. Christopher Cook of the Arlington Police, “He made the decision to engage the shooter, fearing there would be other loss of life.” Police do not plan to file charges against the unidentified good guy with a gun.
Police say they are unsure of a motive at this point, although “man losing control of his temper” sounds plausible to me at this point. It’s also worth reminding everyone that while it’s important to have a plan to defend yourself — and the means to do it — at least as much thought and effort should be put into knowing how to de-escalate a confrontation.
I gather he caught hell for it, with people calling him all manner of variations on “coward” and accusing him of giving aid and comfort to the worst elements of society. Still…I imagine Mr. Perez’s loved ones might wish that they could’ve gotten away from the events of last night so cheaply, no?