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Left inset: Jorge Arbaiza; background: McDonald’s where he was fatally shot (KHOU). Right inset: Antoine Ridge (Harris County Sheriff’s Office).
Texas grandfather Jorge Arbaiza, 61, was just trying to pick up Happy Meals at a McDonald’s for his grandchildren when he got caught up in an unrelated dispute between two groups, according to Harris County authorities and his wife. One of the bullets fatally struck him.
His wife, Teresa Arbaiza, was with the two children in their car and called him after she saw an armed man, heard gunshots, and witnessed people running for safety out of the restaurant, according to CBS Houston affiliate KHOU. She could not enter the restaurant, or else leave the scared children behind.
“I’m dying. I’m going to die’” he reportedly said in his final words to her on March 16. His wife said he had been shot five times.
Arbaiza’s final act was to make the sign of the cross and pray as he died, authorities said.
“What struck a nerve for our team and I was this; Mr. Arbaiza’s lasting gesture as he took his last breath, was him making the sign of the cross of Jesus Christ and praying,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. “May he Rest in Peace.”
Gonzalez announced Thursday that Antoine Ridge, 24, was arrested for murder.
Another person was reportedly struck in the incident but survived.
To make matters worse, one of the shooters was using a Glock handgun equipped with a “Glock Switch,” that allowed the weapon to be an automatic instead of semi-automatic. Multiple
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) March 20, 2025
At the time of the shooting, Ridge also faced warrants for aggravated assault of a family member with a deadly weapon, and reckless driving. He is held on a $1 million bond. Authorities vaguely described the shooting as gang-related.
They ask that anyone with information call the sheriff’s office or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). One of the groups involved in the shooting was in a maroon SUV, and the other was in a white sedan, though authorities said they managed to track down one of the vehicles.
“He was crazy for his grandkids,” Teresa reportedly said of her husband, Jorge.
