A Texas grandfather who was “crazy for his grandkids” is dead after getting caught in the crossfire of a gunfight while buying lunch at a popular fast-food chain as his family waited outside.
Jorge Arbaiza, 61, was shot multiple times at a McDonald’s restaurant in Houston Sunday, according to a statement from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Arbaiza was ordering Happy Meals for his two grandchildren when a gunfight between two groups of men broke out, ending with shots fired inside a restaurant filled with customers and their children, according to authorities.
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Arbaiza’s wife of nearly 40 years, Teresa, watched it unfold while waiting in a car with the two children, according to KHOU 11.
“I couldn’t leave the kids alone. I could not go inside,” Teresa told KHOU 11. “The kids were crying, and they were scared.”
Teresa noticed a man with a gun in her vehicle’s rearview mirror seconds before she heard shots ring out. Teresa called her husband’s cellphone when she did not see him running from the restaurant.
“I’m dying. I’m going to die,” were Arbaiza’s last words, Teresa told KHOU 11.
Arbaiza was transported by a medical helicopter to a hospital, where he later died. In his last moments of life, Arbaiza made the sign of the cross and began to pray, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Gonzalez referred to the murder as “senseless” in a tweet posted to his X account.
“We are deeply saddened by this senseless violence that led to a tragic loss of life,” Stuart Brown, the owner and operator of the Houston McDonald’s, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family, and we are assisting the local police department in any way that we can.”
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One of the men involved in the shooting was also struck by gunfire and taken to a hospital, where he was interviewed by detectives. Investigators used security camera footage to locate a vehicle and have identified multiple suspects involved in the brawl.
On Thursday, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrested Antonio Ridge and charged him with Arbaiza’s murder, according to Gonzalez. Ridge is being held in the Harris County Jail.
Authorities also revealed that a handgun used in the shooting was modified using a “Glock switch” that allows the user to turn the semi-automatic gun into an automatic weapon.
In honor of Arbaiza’s life, Gonzalez is pledging his support for a bill proposed in Texas that will criminalize the possession and use of modified handguns in the state.
“These switches are a serious threat to our community and law enforcement,” Gonzalez said in a social media post. “Let’s get this [bill] passed and named in honor of Mr. Arbaiza.”
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