EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A citizen shot the suspected shooter during last week’s the Cielo Vista Mall shooting, according to the El Paso Police Department.
The shooting on Wednesday, Feb. 15 left a 17-year-old dead and two others injured.
Police say the suspect, a 16-year-old, shot three people and then ran through the mall pointing his gun at bystanders. Police say the gun used by the 16-year-old had been reported stolen.
That’s when police say 32-year-old Emanuel Duran shot the suspect.
Duran has a license to carry, according to police.
While a sign on the Cielo Vista Mall door says “no weapons,” the director of training at Sportsman’s Elite, a gun shop and shooting range in West El Paso, explains that sign does not apply to licensed-to-carry holders.
“What it says on the top, it says it’s a code of conduct sign that is not a legally effective sign recognized by the state of Texas that would prohibit licenses holder, that would prohibit people who are carrying permit-less however,” said Richard Garcia, the director of training at Sportsman’s Elite.
Explaining that in license-to-carry classes, signs are a part of the lessons and it is part of the test for people to get their license.
He adds that legal signs prohibiting guns are available from the State of Texas.
“They can get the correct signage from the State of Texas and find out exactly what is a legal signs for them to post,” Garcia said.
Garcia broke down what Duran likely went through to get his license to carry in the State of Texas.
“He went through, depending on when he got the license, anywhere between a 10-hour class to a 4 and half hour class as well as a written test about the Texas state gun laws, what constitutes use of deadly force, as well as de-escalation techniques,” Garcia said.
Garcia adds that in the State of Texas you have to be 18 years old to purchase a long gun, and 21 years old to purchase a handgun.
Since the shooting, he says he has seen more people coming into Sportsman’s Elite to practice whether they have a license to carry or permit-less carry.
“It’s a great idea to make sure you can use a firearm. You can be proficient with it. You can shoot well with it and you’re wary of the laws so that way you’re more of somebody we want carrying a gun in public as a opposed to somebody that’s a little less knowledgeable, a little bit more ignorant about the subject or maybe somebody who doesn’t practice,” Garcia said. “The last thing we need is more people shooting guns who aren’t able to shoot their targets.
KTSM 9 News has reached out to the attorney police say is representing Duran and are waiting for a call back.
