Deadly Shootout At Calif. Toys "R" Us

Two Men Pull Guns And Shoot Each Other Dead After Wives Squabble

(AP)  The shooting occurred in a crowded toy store on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, but authorities say it wasn't related to the bargain-hunting frenzy. Instead, two men pulled guns and killed each other after the women with them erupted into a bloody brawl, witnesses said.

Authorities released few details about the mayhem that broke out at the Toys "R" Us store around 11:30 a.m. Friday, sending scared shoppers fleeing. Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said the fight was not over a toy and that handguns were found by the men's bodies. He refused to say whether the shooting was gang-related.

The victims were identified as Alejandro Moreno, 39, of Desert Hot Springs, and Juan Meza, 28, of Cathedral City. No one else was hurt.

Witnesses Scott and Joan Barrick said they were checking out of the store when the brawl began between two women, each with a man. The women were near the checkout area, but the Barricks did not think the women had purchases.

One woman suddenly started punching the other woman, who fought back as blood flowed from her nose, said Scott Barrick, 41. The man who was with the woman being punched pulled a gun halfway out of his pocket, then shoved it back in, he said.

"He pulled his gun right next to me. I turned to look for my wife, and she was already hiding," Scott Barrick said.

"I was scared," said Joan Barrick, 40. "I didn't want to die today. I really didn't want to die today, and I think that's what we were all thinking."

The other man pulled a gun and pointed it at the first man but forgot to cock it, Scott Barrick said. The first man tried to run but was blocked by the line of people, then ran back toward the store's electronics section as the other man fired his gun, he said.

The first man reached a dead-end in electronics, turned around and ran toward an exit, pulling his gun and firing back, Scott Barrick said.

"He went up to the cash register, he went to put his hand on the thing and he just went phoomp," he said, indicating the man fell.

He said he did not see what happened to the other man.

Palm Desert Councilman Jim Ferguson said police told him two men with handguns shot and killed each other.

"I think the obvious question everyone has is who takes loaded weapons into a Toys "R" Us?" he said. "I doubt it was the casual holiday shopper."

Ray Turner, 20, said he was two aisles away when two women began shouting and screaming at each other and he had a clear view of the fight until a crowd clustered around them. Both women had children, he said.

"We thought it was just a fight and then someone yelled: `He's got a gun! He's got a gun!' You really couldn't see nothing because there was a crowd," Turner said.

Rafael Gomez, 11, said he and his father had been in the store about 20 minutes before the shooting but were in a nearby Pizza Hut when they saw people pouring out of the store screaming.

"We just saw them running and crying. I was kind of scared," Rafael said. "We got lucky."

Toys "R" Us issued a statement expressing outrage over the violence.

"We are working closely with local law enforcement officials to determine the specific details of what occurred," the statement said. "Our understanding is that this act seems to have been the result of a personal dispute between the individuals involved. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to associate the events of today with Black Friday."

Palm Desert is a resort town about 120 miles east of Los Angeles.

[earache4]

Deadly Shootout At Calif. Toys "R" Us

Hey CBS, your ''R'' is backwards....

[wl7bzh]

So, did you figure out their race, ace?



Race, religion, guns, or sexuality is not the issue-the poor men doing the shooting were obviously victims of society. Just wait, Jackson or Sharpton will appear to defend(for a nominal fee or publicity) these poor victims.

[jerryspoor]

Civilization? Will we achieve it before we pull the trigger?

[earache4]

"Thank god I live in the Netherlands where we don''t have *** like this happening."

Posted by speets at 09:58 AM : Nov 29, 2008

Thank god I live in Canada where we don''t have *** like this happening.

Posted by erasmus81 at 10:20 AM

Thank God I went to catholic school and they taught me to capitalize ''God'' when I write/type His name....

[erasmus81]

Thank God I went to catholic school and they taught me to capitalize ''''God'''' when I write/type His name....


Posted by earache4 at 10:25 AM : Nov 29, 2008

Oops. Sorry. I always do, but I was so intent on copying "speets" sentence, it slipped past me.:)

[johnpatrick9]

Two crazy materialistic broads and now their men are dead "protecting their stupidity and vulgarism." Hope they can explain their ******* actions to their children in the years ahead. Stupid is a stupid does.

[wl7bzh]

Posted by morphndol3 at 10:36 AM : Nov 29, 2008

Hi August987, alias birdlyss...

Do the orderlies at the home realize you have computer access again?

[rational_1]

Stupidos in action. Darwinism once again comes to the fore...

[runningralph]

differnet is correct. Gun ownership should be strictly regulated. There are plenty of regulations on the books but the enforcement is liberal. Liberalism leads to breakdowns in the system.

[rudy6543]

Thank God I went to catholic school and they taught me to capitalize ''''God'''' when I write/type His name....


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by earache4 at 10:25 AM

Oh aren''t you special!

[noaanhc]

Thank God I live in Canada
Posted by erasmus81

Thank God I left Canada and live in the US for now
I can defend myself with a gun if necessary unlike you people there who still trust that the police will protect you.

Before you pass judgement on us Americans, take a look in your own back yard first,seems like every other day I hear of someone getting shot in Toronto or Montreal or Vancouver or Edmonton or Calgary and other cities. Just becaue I left Canada doesnt mean
I dont follow the news there!!!!! We Americans are not as stupid as you may think we are.

People living in glass houses shouldnt throw stomes

[rational_1]

Thank god I live in Canada where we don''''t have *** like this happening.
Posted by erasmus81 at 10:20 AM : Nov 29, 2008

You forgetting Marc Lepine who killed all those female engineering students in Montreal a few years back? This kind of nonsense occurs everywhere.

[andrew_693]

yeah americans are not as stupid as we all think, they are ten times more stupid than that, they will shoot each other over an elmo doll.

[cats2cats]

earache, they forgot to teach you to cap the "C" in Catholic.

[smurfcrusher]

Bloody Santa

[jydavis1]

more ominous signs of empire collapse.

[CBSTV]

Americans like their deadly weapons.

[noaanhc]

andrew_693

In all fairness to you let me re-phrase

I should have said not all Americans are stupid.

Most of us are sickened by the senseless violence that happens here on almost daily basis however banning guns is not the solution,I want tougher laws enforced to prevent people who shoundnt have a gun from getting one in the firsr place!!!! Blame the lax gun laws on the powerful NRA gun lobby.

By the way I have not been an NRA member and dont ever plan to join.

[hotpaulie]

God Bless the NRA!!!

[incog-nito]

As a gun lover and a card-carrying NRA member, I believe these men had every right to carry their guns everywhere. They were obviously protecting the honor of their wives, which they did very well. Who knows, if there were a robbery going on in the store, these men might have been heroes by taking out the bad guys using their guns. I''m sure the world will be a safer place if every man and woman (not to mention children) carry weapons around.

[hatesthecolt]

A lot of you are not reading the article... this wasn''t over toys. This was a case of a couple of criminals (I''ll bet we find out it''s gang related) who shot each other. Good; I''m glad they are dead and I''m glad no one else was hurt. I wish they had killed those stupid sk@nks they were with as well. Good riddance to all of them.

[mrmeatspin]

I dont think this is all about the NRA but, considering its california, more on the issue that these 2 guys are LIBERAL PROTECTED criminals that has MROE RIGHTS THAN THE POLICE that are just having a bad day..

[doorgunner3]

Much of this can be blamed on Republicans and their ******* Christian beliefs where they have taken the true teachings of the bible and twisted them into something completely perverted resulting in a degenerate society.

Posted by masterballs2



Uh. Yeah. right.

Sheesh.

[mrmeatspin]

maybe they were fighting for an obama "change'' book..

"they aint gonna disrespect by baby''s momma'' situation that happened here..

[doorgunner3]

Bling bling.

Bang bang.

Bye bye.

[mrmeatspin]

these liberals were right..if there were no gun they would had just stabbed each other..or if there were by the sports section..used a baseball bat..

now i see the sense to all of this..

[eraser8818]

This kind of nonsense occurs everywhere.

Posted by rational_1 at 11:17 AM : Nov 29, 2008

Not by the hundreds and on a daily basis it don''t.

[typegirl-2009]

Having lived in Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley for 8 years, where you do not go out after dark for fear of being shot at by gang members in cars who are out "looking for an initiation killing", drive-by shootings in the Safeway and Os-Co drugstore parking lots happen almost daily, gang houses on neighborhood streets whose members go from house to house threatening neighbors lives if they report what they see to authorities thereby keeping the neighborhood under "gang rule," with these kinds of neighborhood becoming more numerous all the time, neighborhoods where the daily newspaper will no longer deliver due to senseless killings of their delivery people by the ruling gang in the area, retailiation by gang members in the County Courthouse parking lot if someone has the nerve to testify against one of their members, ... people this is the norm for those who live there. Sure there are gated communities where the very wealthy live, but for those who are just your average citizen, there is always the risk of being targeted by these gang members. Our family couldn''t wait to move away! Unfortunately, this culture is rapidly spreading across our nation like some sort of obscene cancer..... look around at who the breeders are.... I saw it first hand, I know who''s responsible. You really have to live through it to believe it... we did!

[sblake63]

andrew_693

In all fairness to you let me re-phrase

I should have said not all Americans are stupid.

Most of us are sickened by the senseless violence that happens here on almost daily basis however banning guns is not the solution,I want tougher laws enforced to prevent people who shoundnt have a gun from getting one in the firsr place!!!! Blame the lax gun laws on the powerful NRA gun lobby.

By the way I have not been an NRA member and dont ever plan to join.


Posted by noaanhc at 11:40 AM : Nov 29, 2008

Big money says this guy cant even tie his shows! This has nothing to do with the NRA. The local TV station by the way says people in the store describe these men as thugs and shouting gang related things at each other. So I guess the **** in the posting above thinks these were legal gun owners?

Oh let me me guess "if guns were not available in the first place it wouldnt happen". Gun laws could have prevented this huh? Not with low income trash like them being allowed inside a toys r us. What business did they have in the store?

Oh gun law lovers, read up on the high court''s ruling on "shooting down" DC''s gun ban. They have spoken, you can forget any new gun laws in the near future even with Osama, I mean Obama in the white house.

[sblake63]

Big money says this guy cant even tie his shows!


Posted by sblake63 at 12:23 PM : Nov 29, 2008

Shoes I meant lmao. These anti gun nut cases are messing me up LOL !

[formrusmcsgt]

All 4 of these individuals are morons - the women for fighting, and in front of their kids no less, and the men for capping each other because of the women''s stupidity.

Fortunately, the two male morons cancelled each other.

[sblake63]

Hmmm.....MrMeatSpin, you have just given the perfect argument in favor of gun control. No innocent victims from stray gunfire.
But, you are, no doubt a republican stooge, stupid, arrogant and ......ha ha ha out of power.
Ha ha ha


Posted by johndevinejr at 12:15 PM : Nov 29, 2008

Well Ha Ha Ha to you ****. The high court ruling this year shooting down DC''s gun ban was wide ranging and will have a long term effect on chances for any new Gun laws. So even if your muslim creep, I mean Obama tries to make good on his anti gun promises, it wont work period without amending the constitution. What are the odds of that? Ha Ha Ha

As far as "out of power". Well when Cliton won in 92, I had to listen to alot of trash talk from democrats that the GOP was done for and look what happened... Trust me dude "We''ll be back".

[formrusmcsgt]

Trust me dude "We''''ll be back".

Posted by sblake63 at 12:30 PM : Nov 29, 2008

Possibly, but not until Bush''s stench dissipates and your party focuses more on main stream Americans (especially Independents) in addition to minorities and less on the self-righteous.

Considering that the moderate Repubs will have to win the fight for the soul of the party for the above to transpire, I would say that it will take SOME time, if ever.....

[joule18]

Guns don''t kill people by themselves . . . the stupid morons behind them do. Unfortunately we can''t outlaw morons who would still find a way to obtain a gun with or without gun laws.

[centerfall94]

Two NRA thugs kill each other. Hey, I''m all for it. If they hadn''t put other people in danger in the process, I''d even be willing to subsidize the activity with taxes.

[enzoc45]

timothyone....I doubt those two guys had any gun permit to begin with!!! If we''re going to implement tough gun controls...then only the police and criminals will carry guns!! Nice prospect it would be!!

[sblake63]

Trust me dude "We''''''''ll be back".

Posted by sblake63 at 12:30 PM : Nov 29, 2008

Possibly, but not until Bush''''s stench dissipates and your party focuses more on main stream Americans (especially Independents) in addition to minorities and less on the self-righteous.

Considering that the moderate Repubs will have to win the fight for the soul of the party for the above to transpire, I would say that it will take SOME time, if ever.....


Posted by formrusmcsgt at 12:35 PM : Nov 29, 2008

Heard this same nonsense in 92 dude even from fellow repub''s "it was the right that did us in". Not one exit poll from THIS year suggested what you said was right. It was the economy just as it was in 92.

What''s your vision of a main stream American lol? A pro choice, porn watching person foul mouth person who votes for Al Franken?

I suspect it wont even take 4 years to turn back the tide. Obama made promises he cant keep. Where is he going to get the money (other than your checking account)?

[thickredhair]

talk about not being able to take your parents out in public

[centerfall94]

The other man pulled a gun and pointed it at the first man but forgot to *** it, Scott Barrick said.

Oh yea, brilliant NRA nutjobs. LOL!

[deckardbr]

Two females start fighting, their boyfriends just happen to be armed and start shooting, and they wonder if it was gang related? No, IT''S CHURCH RELATED! A deacon and choir boy, both carrying "nines", capped each other. Gangs? There aren''t any gangs, and the police will protect you.

[commonsanity]

I can''t believe that people waste their time fuming over gun laws, bans, Obama... etc. Say a prayer for all those present that were terrorized and be thankful they were not killed. People can kill many ways, with or without guns that have an impact or kill the innocent bystanders. The only effective way to deal with this type of crime is the Death Penalty swiftly enforced and carried out on any person who commits a crime using any type of weapon that either harms or kills anyone. I think that would reduce the population of gangbangers and eventually eliminate the species all together. These two men probably wouldn''t have been alive or free to procreate and have a reason to be in ToysRUs if it were not for our lax laws and ridiculous judicial and parole system. Oh, BTW... for those of you who think Obama to be Muslim, I am not speaking to you. There is absolutely no hope talking sense if you are that ignorant. I am speaking to those of some intellect that might comprehend that death penalty laws are a deterrent. If the death penalty is not only on the books but enforced%u2026 over time, this type of tragedy would not have occurred%u2026 I am a believer of the right to keep and bear arms but%u2026. I am also a believer in having a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

[centerfall94]

I am also a believer in having a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Posted by Commonsanity at 01:03 PM

So were the dead Toys R US guys.

Will you be removing yourself from the gene pool as well?

[pjagermann]

This was in California and probably gang related. These criminals were not legally carrying firearms and obviously gun laws do not have any affect on law-breaking criminals. Such laws only disarm the law-abiding innocent from defending themselves.

[nothappyatall]

I suspect it wont even take 4 years to turn back the tide. Obama made promises he cant keep. Where is he going to get the money (other than your checking account)?

Posted by sblake63

Obama did not make any PROMISSES, even he said the problems we have wont be fixed in 4 years- it took 8 years to get us into this Bush mess.

[centerfall94]

This was in California and probably gang related. These criminals were not legally carrying firearms and obviously gun laws do not have any affect on law-breaking criminals. Such laws only disarm the law-abiding innocent from defending themselves.

Posted by pjagermann at 01:13 PM

What? Gang-thug wives get into argument at toy store and start throwing punches, then the gang-thug husbands kill each other? This is your theory?

Man you NRA nuts will say or do anything to justify the murder of others. But, so long as you do it to each other, and not to the rest of us, I don''t mind one bit.

Knock yourself out! (er, so to speak)

[commonsanity]

"So were the dead Toys R US guys." - Centerfall94

Obviously you are not aware of the requirements to carry a concealed weapon. These thugs have no belief system and could care less whether there are laws much less requirements for permits.
No intention of ever removing myself from the gene pool as I would hate to see it deteriorate even further and leave only people who think gangbangers are part of the NRA.

[jncc1701]

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

This is the actual text of the 2nd amendment..

someone wants to tell me how these yahoos with guns in a toy store is a well regulated militia as outlined in the constitution?

[roachcrusher]

"I suspect it wont even take 4 years to turn back the tide. Obama made promises he cant keep. Where is he going to get the money (other than your checking account)?"

Posted by sblank63

Ahem, it''s still Bush''s watch. He''s "president," not Obama. Obama isn''t even in office yet and you''re already doing the Reagan shuffle, blaming someone, anyone but yourself.

Reagan blamed Carter for eight years for every mess he, Reagan, created.

It''s your Republican con party that has created this mess with your "gun rights" nonsense.

And your Republican party has had it''s hands in our wallets for eight miserable years, taking from us and the really poor and giving to the rich.

Don''t forget who''s doing most of the killing of innocent people--right upstanding citizens in small-town America. Columbine? And across America, you never know when some paunchy, beer belting NRA-type just fired is going to go on a rampage and shoot innocent people.

All this so people like Sarah Palin can shoot wolfs and moose who really have no chance to defend themselves. Sick.

OBAMA 2012

[jimmyc1955]

In this case two couples were looking for trouble. The women began punching each other in a toys''r''us.

You can point at the gun as a cause of death, but it wasn''t the cause of the violence. What I don''t see anybody addressing is a culture of violence. People have decided they have the right to inflict pain and death for no reason other than they feel some form of distress.

TV and the movies show violence as entertainment, cage fighting and nasty reality shows diminish humans to no more than irrelevant entertainment. People pay street drunks to fight, film the event and then sell it.

The problem isn''t the drunks, or the people who film it, but the people who buy it. Those who watch ultimate fighting on TV, and who get 2 years to fight. That is the fundimental problem.

Getting rid of guns only eliminates a symptom - and frankly that genie if so out of the bottle. Stoping all gun sales would do nothing to slow down street violence for 20 years.

[ginger20051]

Looking at the surnames involved I would like to know if these were legally owned and permitted to carry firearms. I would doubt it at this point. In that case just having the guns was a violation of law, much less having them on ones person. You will never stop lawbreakers from having guns. They will smuggle them in or make them, whatever they need to do. At least the "victims" in this (the dead ones, everyone in the store is a victim) were also the perpetrators. If there''s any good to this it is that.