A Texas grandfather lost his life in a tragic incident after being caught in the crossfire of a gunfight while purchasing lunch for his grandchildren at a popular fast-food restaurant.
Jorge Arbaiza, 61, was fatally shot multiple times inside a McDonald’s in Houston on Sunday, according to a statement from the Harris County sheriff’s office. Arbaiza had been ordering Happy Meals for his two grandchildren when a gunfight erupted between two groups of men, leading to chaos inside the restaurant, which was filled with customers and children.
His wife, Teresa, who had been married to him for nearly 40 years, witnessed the harrowing events unfold while waiting outside in the car with their grandchildren. Speaking to KHOU 11, she recalled the terrifying moments.
“I couldn’t leave the kids alone. I could not go inside,” Teresa said. “The kids were crying, and they were scared.”
Just seconds before the shooting began, Teresa noticed a man with a gun in her vehicle’s rearview mirror. When she did not see her husband running out with the other customers, she called his cellphone. The last words she heard from him were chilling: “I’m dying. I’m going to die.”
Arbaiza was airlifted to a hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. Harris County sheriff Ed Gonzalez said that in his final moments, Arbaiza made the sign of the cross and prayed. Gonzalez condemned the violence as “senseless.”
Stuart Brown, the owner and operator of the Houston McDonald’s, also expressed his condolences in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We are deeply saddened by this senseless violence that led to a tragic loss of life. Our thoughts are with the victim’s family, and we are assisting the local police department in any way that we can.”
Authorities confirmed that one of the men involved in the shooting was also injured and taken to a hospital, where detectives questioned him. Investigators used security footage to track a suspect vehicle and identified multiple individuals linked to the brawl.
On Thursday, the Harris County sheriff’s office arrested Antonio Ridge and charged him with Arbaiza’s murder. Ridge is currently being held in the Harris County Jail.
Further investigations revealed that a firearm used in the shooting had been illegally modified with a “Glock switch,” a device that converts a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic one. Sheriff Gonzalez has since pledged his support for a proposed Texas bill that would criminalise the possession and use of such modifications.
“These switches are a serious threat to our community and law enforcement,” Gonzalez said on social media. “Let’s get this bill passed and named in honor of Mr Arbaiza.”