Charges have been filed against 24-year-old Antoine Leandre Ridge for the fatal shooting of Jorge Rolando Arbaiza, a 61-year-old grandfather who was caught in a gang-related shootout while purchasing Happy Meals for his grandchildren at a west Harris County McDonald's on Sunday. This incident, disclosed by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, occurred near West Little York and North Fry Road, where the victim was an innocent bystander inside the fast-food venue which was full of customers, noted Click2Houston.
During the incident, Arbaiza's wife Teresa was waiting in the parking lot with two of their grandchildren when she saw a man with a firearm in the rearview mirror. Moments later, gunshots rang out, and people began fleeing the establishment. However, her husband was not among them. Teresa shared the ordeal in a moving interview with KHOU 11, where she recalled the final words she heard from her husband, "I'm dying, I'm going to die," before being unable to reach him as she couldn't leave their grandchildren behind in the car, "the kids were crying, and they were scared," Teresa explained.
Ridge, who also has a pending warrant for an aggravated assault charge in Harris County, was apprehended by both HCSO's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team and the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force as Sheriff Ed Gonzalez pointed out, yet authorities continue their search for additional assailants involved in the fatal confrontation. According to court records, Ridge allegedly had brandished a weapon while threatening a person he was in a dating relationship with, as reported by Click2Houston.
Teresa also reflected on her nearly four-decade-long marriage to Jorge and their upcoming anniversary celebration, which was abruptly disrupted by his sudden loss. She held photos of her husband with their grandchildren while speaking to KHOU 11 "He was crazy for his grandkids." As the investigation proceeds, officers backed by K-9 units continue to comb the crime scene for evidence, while a pursuit is active for the groups seen driving a maroon SUV and a white sedan, connected to the deadly exchange which also resulted in a 25-year-old man sustaining gunshot injuries but is expected to survive.
