Texas
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Meow Wolf, others for banning off-duty officers from carrying guns
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the immersive art venue Meow Wolf Grapevine, the State Fair of Texas and three other businesses across the state, alleging the businesses banned off-duty officers from carrying guns.
The lawsuit filed against Meow Wolf on Feb. 21 alleges the business, located inside the Grapevine Mills mall, violated an article of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure that since last July an establishment serving the public cannot restrict a peace officer from carrying an authorized weapon. Businesses in violation are subject to a $1,000 penalty per instance, according to the code.
The lawsuit alleges off-duty officers Eric Perkins, deputy chief of police at River Oaks Police Department, and Dallas Police Department SWAT team sergeant Daniel Harris were barred from carrying guns at Meow Wolf Grapevine when they visited on different occasions in 2023.
Paxton wrote to Meow Wolf Grapevine director of security Tony Perkins about complying with the law; Perkins wrote that the venue had updated its policies, according to the lawsuit. Despite the assertion in that letter, the lawsuit alleges, Meow Wolf Grapevine subsequently banned off-duty Sherman Police Department corporal Scott Vance from carrying a gun into the business.
Herman Campos, from Carrollton, visited the Grapevine Mills mall Tuesday afternoon. He believes off-duty officers should be allowed to carry firearms into businesses, because they have to be prepared for any event at all times.
“They’re supposed to be prepared for anything and everything, any kind of action that might require the use of a firearm to protect people,” Campos said. “That’s their duty.”
Meow Wolf Grapevine declined to comment on ongoing litigation. According toits code of conduct page, Meow Wolf Grapevine bans visitors from bringing weapons of any kind, including any firearms, pocket knives, pepper spray, large chains and spiked jewelry.
Paxton also sued The Factory in Deep Ellum, Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie and The Lucky Duck in San Antonio over alleged violations, all of which prohibit visitors from bringing firearms inside the venue.
Seth Bodine is a business and economic development reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at seth.bodine@fortworthreport.org or follow@sbodine120.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
No. 1 seed Texas (51-12, 16-8 in SEC play) and No. 3 seed Texas Tech (61-8, 21-3 in the Big 12) begin their three-game series at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday in Oklahoma City. Each
Texas
Brazoria County deputy shoots, kills Texas State University student after car chase, report says
BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas – A Texas State University student was shot and killed by a Brazoria County Sheriff’s deputy early Monday morning after an attempted traffic stop in Lake Jackson.
The news was first reported by The University Star, Texas State’s student-run newspaper.
In a Tuesday statement to KSAT, the university identified the student as John Gabriel Mendoza Jr., 18. He was a freshman who studied management, according to the school.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, classmates, and all those affected by this tragedy,” the university said in its statement.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle just after midnight Monday near Farm-to-Market 2004 and This Way Street in Lake Jackson, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver of the vehicle, who was identified as Mendoza by The University Star, did not stop, deputies said. The deputies then chased after the vehicle for approximately a mile into a neighborhood located in the 100 block of Indian Warrior Trail.
According to the sheriff’s office, the driver went inside a home’s garage and parked before a deputy approached the vehicle, the release said.
The deputy then pulled out his firearm and shot into the vehicle. The sheriff’s office said the gunfire struck the driver.
The University Star reported that Mendoza was the one shot. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The deputy who pulled the trigger has since been placed on administrative leave in accordance with the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office policy.
KSAT reached out to the Lake Jackson Police Department and the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office for more information, but neither agency has responded at this time.
The shooting investigation is being led by the Texas Rangers, according to a Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office news release.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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