Key Takeaways
- A security guard shot and killed an armed man after a struggle inside KJ’s Playroom on San Antonio’s East Side just after midnight Wednesday.
- Police said the man in his 30s walked into the slot machine room near South W.W. White Road and Hunnicut Drive already holding a gun.
- One police account says the armed man fired at the guard first, while a second account describes a struggle over the weapon before the guard stepped back and fired.
- The guard was not hurt, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
- Police have not released the suspect’s name or the guard’s identity, and the investigation remains active.
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SAN ANTONIO, TX — A security guard shot and killed an armed man after a struggle inside an East Side game room shortly after midnight Wednesday, according to San Antonio police.
The shooting happened at KJ’s Playroom, a slot machine room near South W.W. White Road and Hunnicut Drive, as reported by Fox San Antonio. Police said a man in his 30s walked into the business holding a gun. The security guard spotted him coming in with the weapon and confronted him.
The two started fighting. According to Fox San Antonio’s report, police said the armed man began shooting at the guard. The guard fired back. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The guard was not hurt.
A separate local TV news report described the fight as a struggle over the weapon. Police told that station the guard stepped back and then fired. That account does not mention the man firing first.
The step back is the detail I would point any armed professional to. A fight over a gun at arm’s length is about as dangerous as it gets, and creating even a little space can be the difference between controlling the situation and losing it. That is a skill you build in training. You don’t improvise it at midnight.
The guard also saw the gun as the man came through the door. Recognizing a threat early, before it is on top of you, is mindset, not equipment.
More from USA Carry:
A review of calls for service at the address found 46 calls to police over the last two years, including disturbances, thefts, and multiple burglary and holdup alarms, according to Fox San Antonio. Customer Jesus Lopez told the station, “There’s no real reason to bring a weapon inside a place where you’re going to come enjoy yourself, you have other people there.”
Police have not said why the man was armed or what he intended when he walked in, and have not released his name. The security guard has not been publicly identified. Police have not said whether the guard will face charges, and the investigation remains active.
