PORT ARTHUR, Texas — One man has been arrested as Port Arthur Police investigate a shooting at a gas station on Ninth Avenue.
Officers were responded to the Citgo at 9th Avenue and Turtle Creek Drive just after 1:30 p.m. Monday after a caller said a person had been shot in the abdomen according to a news release from the Port Arthur Police Department.
Witnesses told 12News that the shooting started as a fight.
Demonte Thomas, 22, was arrested at the scene for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting according to the release.
When officers arrived they found the a man with a gunshot wound in the parking and after entering the store found Thomas the release said.
The man was taken to the hospital where he is in serious but stable condition according to police.
The convenience store is located near a large cluster of town homes and apartments.
This shooting comes as Port Arthur deals with an uptick in violent crime in the city. In July, Port Arthur Police rolled out a new crime-fighting unit to focus on violent crime.
“We kind of refer to this unit as the tip of the spear,” Port Arthur Police Dept. detective Mike Hebert told 12News in July. “This is a unit that is going to really attack violent crime in the city. That's going to be their number one function."
The team will rely on violent crime statistics to identify areas prone to more violence Detective Hebert said.
If you have information about the shooting at the gas station or any other crimes, you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or text “BMT” followed by your tip information to CRIMES (274637).
From the Port Arthur Police Department…
On Monday, 9-16-2019 at approximately 1:37 PM, officers of the Port Arthur Police Department responded to the Tiger Mart located at 8149 9th Avenue in reference to a subject with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Officers arrived and found a gunshot victim in the parking lot of the business. Officers then entered the store and located a suspect in the shooting.
This suspect was then taken into custody for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
The victim of this shooting was taken to an area hospital where he is listed in serious but stable condition.
The suspect in this shooting was identified as Demonte Thomas, black/male, 22 YOA. Thomas was transported to the JCSO Correctional Facility for booking.
This incident is currently under investigation by the Criminal Investigations Division with the Port Arthur Police Department.