Armed Robber No Match for Armed Barber

An armed robber made a fatal mistake on Wednesday evening when he targeted a San Antonio barbershop, not realizing that one individual inside the business was ready and willing to fight back. 

According to police, the would-be robber, who’s name has not yet been released, walked into Marissa’s Beauty Salon on the city’s northside around 7:30 Wednesday evening, displayed a gun, and ordered everyone inside the shop to give up their wallets and purses. 

One of the business owners, described as a 26-year-old man, did not comply quickly enough with the orders and was pistol-whipped by the other man, according to SAPD.

The suspect then focused his attention on the other business owner, a 51-year-old woman, and pulled out zip ties. At the same time, the male business owner pulled out a gun and shot the suspect multiple times in the chest, SAPD told KSAT. 

The man who attempted to rob the business was initially hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, police said. However, the Bexar County Medical Examiner later confirmed that he died.

Police haven’t said if there were any customers inside the shop at the time of the robbery, but the beauty salon was still open for business when the armed robber made his appearance, so it’s entirely possible that the armed barber not only protected himself and his co-owner, but patrons as well. 

So long as the surveillance footage matches the testimony of the armed citizen and other witnesses, this is about as clear-cut a case of self-defense as it gets. The barber had every right to be in his own business and to carry a gun there as well. After being pistol whipped and seeing the robber break out zip ties, he reasonably feared for his life and the lives of others. Whether he used a pair of scissors, a hair pick, or a handgun, his use of lethal force was absolutely justified based on the actions of the armed robber. 

Another recent incident in San Antonio isn’t nearly as cut-and-dried. In late December a San Antonio homeowner was charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly shot a woman who refused to leave his property. Johnathon Vasquez says he was working on his car when he spotted the woman walk on to his property after she’d allegedly been peering into his neighbors’ yards. Vasquez told police that he warned the woman to leave and retrieved a gun from his vehicle. After informing her that he was armed and repeating his demand she leave the property, Vasquez allegedly fired when she refused to comply with his request. 

The incident has sparked a debate on social media, with some users defending Vasquez’s actions, saying in part, “He has a right to protect his property when someone is refusing to leave and advanced towards the home.” Others argued, “She was not a threat. He could have called police.”

Criminal defense attorney Shannon Locke explained the complexities of using deadly force in such situations. “It’s very intricate. It’s not clear cut, and that’s why you have to be absolutely certain that you have to do this immediately to prevent something worse happening to you,” Locke said.

The Texas Penal Code outlines specific circumstances under which deadly force can be used to protect property. Locke noted, “It has to be immediately necessary to prevent the other’s eminent commission of arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, theft during the nighttime, okay, okay, theft during the nighttime or criminal mischief during the nighttime.”

Simple trespassing, in other words, is not justification for using lethal force in Texas, despite its reputation for incredibly strong (or weak, depending on your point of view) self-defense laws. 

This shouldn’t come into play for the armed barber who shot his assailant, but Vasquez could be looking at prison if he’s convicted of aggravated assault. Even in a 2A-friendly state like Texas there are rules regarding the use of lethal force, and gun owners need to educate themselves on the scope of the self-defense laws in their state if they have any thought of using a firearm to defend themselves if necessary.