A parking lot turned into a lethal encounter on Thursday afternoon at South Park Mall, San Antonio, Texas, July 27, when a man and his passenger left the mall around 1 pm to find their Ford truck stolen. 

Determined to retrieve their vehicle, they tracked it down to another parking lot at the mall where they discovered a male and female sitting inside.

Taking charge, the truck’s owner held the suspects at gunpoint while waiting for the police. 

However, the situation escalated when the alleged thief pulled out a handgun and shot the vehicle’s owner, who returned fire and hit both suspects. The male thief was pronounced dead at the scene, while the owner and the female suspect were taken to a local hospital in critical and stable condition, respectively.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus described the incident as a case of self-defence, stating that the vehicle’s owner had the right to look for his stolen property, though he encouraged people to involve the police before taking matters into their own hands.

Following the shootout, photos from the scene showed the injured female suspect being assisted by officers, with blood running down her leg. The deceased thief was found lying face down in the parking lot.

In response to the incident, the dead thief’s brother, Jose Garcia, expressed his doubts about the car owner’s supposed right to chase down and kill his brother. He criticized the shooter as a vigilante, urging people to leave such matters to the police.