No good deed..

[Frankie]

From the New Braunfels PD Facebook page

Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon

On this date, at approximately 1:30am, the New Braunfels Police Department was dispatched to Prince Solms Park (in the 100 block of Liebscher Drive) for reports of multiple shots fired. Officers arrived in the area and began investigating the incident. That investigation revealed that a total of 7 soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, had arrived in the park shortly after 1am. The soldiers explained to officers that shortly before 1:30am they had witnessed a disturbance between a male and female in the parking lot of the park and they had intervened. The soldiers believed they had successfully deescalated the situation and began to walk back to their vehicle.

As the soldiers were walking away, the female involved in the disturbance ran to her boyfriend’s vehicle, removed a 9mm handgun from under the driver’s seat and handed it to the male that had been involved in the disturbance (her boyfriend). The soldiers told officers that they became aware of the handgun when they heard the slide from the gun being racked and they saw the male aiming the weapon in their direction. The soldiers then scattered and ran to their vehicles for cover as the suspect began firing the weapon. One soldier was able to get to his vehicle and retrieved his personal .40 caliber handgun and he began firing as well, laying down what he described as “cover fire” so that his fellow soldiers could reach cover.

The ongoing investigation has revealed that the suspect shooter fired a total of 19 rounds from his handgun, striking two vehicles belonging to the soldiers a total of three times. The soldier who was returning fire shot a total of 7 rounds with one of those rounds striking the suspect in the right elbow.

The suspect, his girlfriend, and the soldiers had all initially fled the scene; however, once police arrived in the park, the soldiers returned and reported what had happened during the incident. Officers then began looking for the suspect’s vehicle which was located a short time later at the Pilot gas station in the 3200 block of Loop 337. All of the parties that were involved were then brought back to the New Braunfels Police Department headquarters for interviews. As of this release, the suspect, a 24-year old male from San Antonio, was medically cleared by EMS and arrested, charged with one count of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. The female, a 26-year old from San Antonio, was also arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. None of the 7 soldiers (ranging in age from 19 to 25) were harmed during the incident and have been cooperating fully with the investigation, and no charges are expected to be filed against them. The investigation is ongoing at this time, and further charges against the male and female currently under arrest may be forthcoming.

[ELB]

No good deed indeed.

Thanks for posting.

[JALLEN]

Not all damsels in distress want to be rescued.

One has to wonder how many cans of beer were harmed in producing this undignified debacle.

That romeo is lucky. Somebody shooting 19 rounds might give the target(s) the impression he meant great bodily harm, which would justify shooting to "stop the threat" not merely cover fire.

[Jusme]

One of the main things I learned as,a LEO was that when you get ready to arrest the husband/boyfriend have someone cover the wife/girlfriend. She may want your help when she called, but when you actually take,action, she becomes his defender.

There is probably more to the story than is being reported why were a group of soldiers hanging out in a park at 1 am? If the situation was diffused, why would the "victim" want to shoot her protectors?

It doesn't all add up. I'm sure the true story may come out, or may already be known to the police, but as reported, it sounds like there are details omitted JMHO.

[ELB]

Not all damsels in distress want to be rescued...

And not all damsels are in distress. There are significant studies that show the women initiate unanswered or "nonreciprocal" violence at least as often or more often than men, and in relationships where violence is mutual, or reciprocal, women initiate it just as often as men (i.e. it's not just women defending themselves). When a man uses violence, he is more likely to inflict injury than a woman; also a woman is more likely to report the violence than a man is. Combining that with certain political efforts, e.g. "war against women," the popular view is that men are always instigators and women are always victims.

There's also the dynamic that arguing and fighting is how many couples communicate, it is part of "the rules" of their culture and upbringing, and people who intrude on that are the enemy of that culture, regardless of which side the intruder intervenes for. Rory Miller has a very good explanation of this in his book Meditations on Violence.

It would not surprise me to that the soldiers thought they were intervening on the side of a "damsel in distress," but regardless of whether she was victim or instigator or participant in mutual combat, the couple saw them as intruders sticking their noses into someone else's business, which they see as a bigger sin than punching or slapping your significant other.

[JALLEN]

One of the main things I learned as,a LEO was that when you get ready to arrest the husband/boyfriend have someone cover the wife/girlfriend. She may want your help when she called, but when you actually take,action, she becomes his defender.

There is probably more to the story than is being reported why were a group of soldiers hanging out in a park at 1 am? If the situation was diffused, why would the "victim" want to shoot her protectors?

It doesn't all add up. I'm sure the true story may come out, or may already be known to the police, but as reported, it sounds like there are details omitted JMHO.

A holiday evening? 19-25? I can see a bunch of guys that age hanging around the park at that age this weekend. Of course, that park wasn't there when I was 19.

"Howling at the moon" was a fairly common activity among young men too young to have wives to occupy their time. You get together with a bunch of pals, stand around in the dark, smoking and drinking and lying, in a public place where there are as few people as possible. Great fun at a certain age. Then you grow up.

[Pawpaw]

Not all damsels in distress want to be rescued.

One has to wonder how many cans of beer were harmed in producing this undignified debacle.

That romeo is lucky. Somebody shooting 19 rounds might give the target(s) the impression he meant great bodily harm, which would justify shooting to "stop the threat" not merely cover fire.

The basic definition of cover fire is fire that makes the other guy stop shooting at your guys because he's too busy ducking or whatever.

The best cover fire is fire that makes the other guy stop shooting at your guys because he's too busy tending his wounds or bleeding out.

[The Annoyed Man]

One has to wonder how many cans of beer were harmed in producing this undignified debacle.

And therein lies the crux of the matter......

[JerryK]

Remember there is 3 sides to every story!!!

[OldCurlyWolf]

One of the main things I learned as,a LEO was that when you get ready to arrest the husband/boyfriend have someone cover the wife/girlfriend. She may want your help when she called, but when you actually take,action, she becomes his defender.

BTDT

It is never pretty. Always have at least 2 officers at a "Domestic" call.

[ELB]

Update:

The identities of the two people arrested following the shots fired call at Prince Solms Park on 7/4/16 at approximately 1:30am have been released.

The identities of the two people arrested following the shots fired call at Prince Solms Park on 7/4/16 at approximately 1:30am have been released. 24-year old Jesus Ricardo Gallegos of San Antonio and 26-year old Sarah Ann Garzes of San Antonio were each charged with one count of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, which is a 2nd Degree Felony punishable, if convicted, by 2 to 20 years in prison (TPC 22.02). Additional charges against Gallegos and Garzes may be forthcoming. No charges are expected to be filed against the 7 Ft. Hood soldiers involved in this incident.
As of this release, both Gallegos and Garzes remain in custody at the Comal County Jail with bonds still pending.

http://www.nbtexas.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1577

Mugshot of one of the rocket surgeons at the link.

[Pawpaw]

Mr. Neckbeard hisself.

[usurp31]

Remember there is 3 sides to every story!!!

To be a fly on the tree in that park that night!

[ELB]

An update... or maybe since it happened before the incident in the OP it's a downdate? Backdate?

Anyway, recall the two rocket surgeons that fought with each other and then the soldiers, "24-year old Jesus Ricardo Gallegos of San Antonio and 26-year old Sarah Ann Garzes of San Antonio..."

I was poking around the intertubes a bit and discovered this wasn't their first rodeo (cue Gomer Pyle):

Three Arrested After SAPD Officers Duke It Out Downtown (21 Oct 2014)

According to an SAPD report, two people had been walking downtown when three suspects, identified in the report as Diego Gallegos, 23, Jesus Ricardo Gallegos, 21, and Sarah Ann Garzes, 25, attempted to start a fight with them.

The report said the two individuals, who have not been identified, asked for help at the Bike Patrol office on 416 E. Commerce St.
An officer came outside and ordered the three suspects to leave, advising the other two to head in the opposite direction.

The report said Diego Gallegos continued to push one of the men who sought help, at which point the officer intervened, ordering Gallegos against a wall to place him under arrest.

As he did so, the report said, Jesus Gallegos moved between them to prevent the arrest.

The officer then ordered Jesus Gallegos against the wall to place him under arrest as well.

While trying to make the arrest, the document says, Garzes [NOTE: this is the woman who got the handgun for her boyfriend to shoot at the soldiers} jumped onto the officer’s back and punched him several times in the head and face.

Mayhem ensued. Some shore videos at the link of the little darlings buried under some bike cops.

[goose]

I get mistakes. I understand each of us tripping up occasionally. But simply choosing not to walk away after a police officer has tried to give you a "get out of jail card"..............