Lawyer tries to shoot ex-girlfriend but is tackled by bar patrons, Texas video shows

A Texas attorney is accused of trying to shoot his ex-girlfriend at the bar where she worked, but was tackled to the ground by patrons, surveillance video shows.

In the video, he can be seen walking up to the bar and placing a satchel down in front of him. He appears to speak for a moment, then pulls a handgun out of the satchel and takes aim at a woman who Austin police say is his ex-girlfriend, KEYE reported.

But before he can fire, a man sitting on a stool beside him lunges and his shots go wild. As they struggle, a second patron rushes into the fray and helps wrestle the attorney to the ground.

Gavin Rush, an Austin lawyer, was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following the Nov. 26 incident, court records show.

However, he was released 48 hours later after paying bail, news outlets report, outraging some in the community, including Austin City Council member Mackenzie Kelly who shared the video on social media.

“This attorney belongs behind bars, pending a lengthy jury of his peers,” Kelly said. “I’m deeply disturbed watching this video and committed to a safe city.”

Rush’s bond was set at $40,000, records show. In Texas, bail is typically 10% of the total bond, or $4,000 in this case.

Other community leaders are also speaking out, saying they are disturbed that Rush was released from custody so quickly and easily.

“This particular case seems to be one where the courts have failed this victim,” Thomas Villarreal, head of the Austin Police Association, told KTBC.

Rush and the woman split up over a month ago but he had continued pursuing her, wanting to get back together, police told KTBC. She wasn’t interested and stopped responding to him.

Leading up to the attack, he began sending text messages threatening violence against her and her new romantic interest, the outlet reported.

“Every time I watch that video, I just want to throw up, you know,” one of the men who tackled Rush told KVUE. He and the second patron requested to remain anonymous.

Rush fired three shots, one of which nearly hit him in the head, the bar patron said, adding he’s suffered hearing damage to his left ear.

“We’re all just lucky,” he told the station. “That could have gone down so differently than it did. Thank God.”

This story was originally published November 30, 2022 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Lawyer tries to shoot ex-girlfriend but is tackled by bar patrons, Texas video shows."