Brownsville police have arrested a man accused of pulling out a handgun and firing it during a fight outside a local bar.
Jesus Villafuerte, 23, of Brownsville, was arrested Thursday after he was identified as the man with the gun from a Crime Stoppers tip, said Investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department, adding that if not for the tip police may not have been able to identify the man.
Villafuerte was arraigned Friday on count of deadly conduct and discharge firearm in certain municipalities. His bonds totaled $18,000.
The fight happened Nov. 24 outside the Peacock’s Shot Bar located on Pablo Kisel Boulevard.
Authorities had obtained video of the fight showing several men fight and then Villafuerte pulling a gun out of a vehicle and firing it, police said.
Sandoval said Villafuerte shot the gun in the air.
Although several people commented on the gun in the video, no one said what the fight was about, Sandoval said.
Los Indios Police Chief Eddie Mendoza was hired to provide security at a nearby the bar and is spotted standing outside the bar and then attempts to break up one of the fights.
In a Facebook post, Mendoza stated he was hired to provide security at the business. “As the video shows my involvement was in stopping the altercation and the men can be seen going their separate ways.”
He also said he was in the process of locking the doors to the bar when the fight began outside.
He later writes “As a citizen with a license to carry I know the importance of gun safety and the ramifications of irresponsible gun use. I do not and will never promote or condone gun violence in any shape or form and do believe that guns are to be used and handle with proper training and care.”
When contacted Friday by The Brownsville Herald, Mendoza said his job does not allow him to make comments, but his statements in his Facebook post “pretty much sums it up.”
