Shoppers were sent fleeing in panic after police say a 16-year-old suspect opened fire inside the Cielo Vista mall. Multiple shots were fired, and officials say, “as soon as the shooting ended, the 16-year-old suspect began to run and was pointing the gun towards the direction of bystanders.”
That’s when 32-year-old Emanual Duran calmly responded. In a Friday statement, police reported that “as the suspect ran towards Duran and bystanders, Duran drew his handgun and shot the suspect.”
The Good Samaritan is a concealed carry permit holder.
The incident apparently began with a confrontation between the 16-year-old suspect and a 17-year-old, and police now report that a physical fight ensued and then gunshots rang out. It was when the younger male attempted to flee the scene that he crossed paths with Duran.
Two 17-year-olds were shot, and officials say that Angeles Zaragoza was killed. The other 17-year-old and a 20-year-old who was also shot have not been named publicly.
The 16-year-old was hospitalized and listed in stable condition Friday. Police say he used a stolen gun in the attack.
In the aftermath of the shooting, an off-duty police officer who was working security at a nearby store took the wounded suspect into custody. Police say he also rendered first aid to the 16-year-old. The suspect has not been named due to his age, and police report that charges are pending against the young suspect.
Cielo Vista Mall is next to a Walmart that was the scene of a horrific mass shooting in 2019 that killed 23 and left almost two dozen others injured. The suspect in that incident pleaded guilty last week to 90 federal charges.
This tragic incident may have ended far worse than it did without the intervention of a good guy with a legally possessed firearm. Far too often, violence erupts in a public setting where there is no one prepared to deal with it.
Criminals count on an unarmed public and the lack of good people prepared to confront them in the act. The alleged shooter could easily have tallied more victims as he ran through the mall, but that possibility ended when an armed citizen stepped to the forefront and took responsibility.
Anyone who gets into a violent confrontation and fires a weapon in a crowded setting such as a shopping mall clearly has no regard for the sanctity of human life. The age of the shooter only makes the situation worse, though that hardly lessens the danger to the innocent bystanders.
All too often, the mainstream media and politicians isolated behind their own armed security preach to ordinary people about the Second Amendment.
These opportunists like nothing more than to blame an inanimate object for the criminal acts of those who care nothing for public safety. They further demand that Americans ignore the obvious danger and disarm themselves.
But this only sets up more victims and accelerates the cycle of violence. One sure way to end that cycle, as has been demonstrated repeatedly, is to have armed citizens ready to stand up and confront those who would cause harm to others.
This is exactly what happened in an El Paso mall last week and in many locations across the nation. And every time it does, it is further proof that heroes and good guys still exist and are ready to defend the innocent from harm.
