Shots Fired During New Braunfels Bar Fight
In mid-December two New Braunfels men were involved in an incident at a bar that turned violent. Just after 1am on a Sunday morning, outside of the Watering Hole Saloon in the 1300 block of McQueeney Road, “a fight between two men outside the bar led to one of the men pulling out a handgun and firing a single round,” according to KGNB.am News. The person misfired and no one was injured. The man who fired immediately fled the scene. A security guard from the bar called police to the scene, and was standing at the door when the man at whom the shooter had fired tried to re-enter the bar. “When he was told that he would have to be searched for weapons first, the man punched the security guard in the face and also fled the scene.” The guard tried to chase down the man who had just assaulted him, but could not find him. When the police arrived, they couldn’t find either man. Police say that the man who assaulted the guard “had several tattoos on his neck, including a Spurs logo.” Incidents of violence and aggression at drinking establishments are common. According to Psychology Today, “over half of all murders occur under the influence of alcohol. Some high estimates go as far as to suggest 80 percent of murderers were intoxicated at the time of attack.” It’s no wonder, then, that establishments that sell alcohol to patrons will have high rates of violence. Who can be held accountable for violence that occurs at a drinking establishment is established by state Dram Laws. A dram shop refers to any place where alcohol is sold and consumed. According to the Southeast Texas Record, “the first regulated dram shops began in Texas in 1895, with the passage of the state’s first dram shop act.” In 1987, a Texas Supreme Court decision “opened the door to Dram Shop Act lawsuits.” This set the precedent that the establishment would be held responsible to not serve patrons who were visibly intoxicated. If it can be proved they did, the establishment is liable for any violence that occurs there. If you have been the victim of a bar fight or accused of alleged violence in a public place such as a bar, don’t go through it alone. Contact a New Braunfels personal injury attorney today.
