The San Antonio Express-News reports that a mall shopper who brandished a handgun on a dude trying to cut in line was within his rights, according to police, because he had a permit for the weapon and was using it in self-defense.
San Antonio police officers were called to the Sears location around 9pm on Thanksgiving Day, before the turkey was even cold, in response to a call about a shooting.
When they arrived, they detained Jose Alonzo Salame, 33, who was holding a black 9 mm semi-automatic handgun with a black holster.
“We dont see this very often,” Officer Matthew Porter said, adding that Salame did not break the law by displaying the weapon. “He was within his rights.”
Police confiscated the gun, which was loaded and had one round in a chamber, the report says.Salame reportedly showed proof that he had a concealed handgun license, and he told officers that he pulled the gun out to defend himself because he was punched in the face by Alejandro Alex, 35.
Mr. Salame didn’t discharge his weapon, and said he displayed it because he was afraid Mr. Alex would hit him again. A Sears manager congratulated him with a store voucher. The incident happened about an hour after the store opened to jam-packed crowds seeking pre-Black-Friday Thanksgiving bargains.
The shoppers scattered, “tumbling over things, dropping boxes,” according to one eyewitness, and “the man who was trying to cut in line ran and hid behind a refrigerator before he fled the store.”
Here, you try and make sense of it.
(via Miles O’Brien; image: Shutterstock)