SAN ANTONIO – The man accused of shooting a security guard late Wednesday night at a Northwest Side H-E-B has been identified as 31-year-old Charles Mayah. KSAT obtained Mayah's mugshot from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office on Thursday morning.
Records show Mayah was arrested in 2016 on a charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon.
He was out on bond and awaiting trial in that prior case at the time of the H-E-B shooting, records show.
In this latest case, San Antonio police say Mayah wandered into an off-limits employee break room at the supermarket, located near Interstate 10 and Wurzbach, around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday.
Two security officers were called to escort him out of the store.
“When the security guards encountered the suspect that was in the break room, he immediately started fighting them,” said Officer Carlos Ortiz, with SAPD. “He actually reached for the gun from the security guard, was able to take that gun and actually shoot the security guard in the ankle.”
The 62-year-old security officer suffered a non-life-threatening wound, and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Police are still not sure why Mayah put up a fight, but they say the guards did all they could to stop him.
“Prior to our arrival, the security guard had already pepper-sprayed the suspect but it had no effect,” he said. “At some point, the (police) officers got there and they actually tried to tase the suspect.”
It was only after paramedics arrived and administered ketamine, a sedative, that police were able to take Mayah into custody.
He also was taken to a hospital for treatment. No one else was hurt.
“It's a scary situation, knowing how many people use that H-E-B,” Ortiz said. “That store is always packed.”
Mayah has been charged with aggravated assault against a security officer. H-E-B closed while officers investigated the incident and reopened around 6 a.m. Thursday.