Lubbock Police announced the arrest of Gilberto Cardona Jr., 45, of Lubbock on Wednesday. Cardona was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on October 19 at a North Lubbock home.  He has been booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center. 

A warrant for Cardona’s arrest obtained by EverythingLubbock.com explained that he was arrested for shooting at three people at that North Lubbock home the week prior. The warrant also listed that in  2001, Cardona was convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. 

Police reports stated that Cardona came onto the property of a home in the 3200 Block of Grinnell Street on the evening of October 19 and began punching a man there.  The man at the house said he punched Cardona multiple times in return. Cardona reportedly left the home, then returned, in a Chevrolet Equinox, firing approximately nine gunshots at the people who were standing in front of the home.  

One of the people at the home ran inside and retrieved a rifle to return fire. Police observed three bullet holes on slides at the playground nearby at Wolffarth Elementary, children told police they witnessed bullets striking the slides beside where they were sitting. No charges have been filed yet for these gunshots. 

No one was injured from any of the gunfire that day, police said. 

The man at the house who said he fired back after Cardona shot at him spoke with EverythingLubbock.com both on Wednesday and the week prior. For his safety, he asked to remain anonymous, for the purposes of this article, we will refer to him as “John.”

Last week, he explained how he and his family found bullet holes in their vehicle after the fight, as well as bullet holes in their wall from rounds that landed inside their home.  

John said that in the 20 years he and his family have lived in that residence, they’ve never had anything so traumatic happen; they’ve never had guns fired at their home before. 

“[Cardona] stayed in front of my house firing and unloading his magazine, if I hadn’t have gone outside and asserted myself we wouldn’t be standing here today, we wouldn’t be alive today,” John said of the gun fight.

During the week that followed, John was anxious knowing that the suspect hadn’t been arrested. 

“Knowing that this person was several blocks away really kept me up at night, I’ve never been in a gun fight, I’ve never been shot at, knowing that this person was only several blocks away from me really kept me on edge through this whole ordeal,” John said. “I’m just happy Lubbock PD came forward and arrested this criminal.”

John said he was aware the suspect lived nearby, which made him fear for his family’s safety Now, he said, he can sleep easier. 

“I feel safe knowing that we have good detectives and knowing and police force is out there and that they can take charge and can apprehend a criminal that has committed crimes,” he said. 

Officers who responded to the shooting tried to locate Cardona on the day the shooting happened, they found him at a home just three blocks away from the shooting. Cardona denied ever leaving his house that evening. One officer observed Cardona had bruising around his eyes.