‘You don’t wanna mess with me’: Marine veteran gunned down in front of young son after confronting men who disrespected his fiancee, cops say

Two men allegedly shot a Marine veteran to death in the parking garage of a Texas mall after they disrespected the victim’s fiancee.

Marko Cinan, 23, and Justin Joshua Guzman, 22, stand accused of murder in the death of Anthony Sanders, a 30-year-old Marine veteran, who was killed in the parking garage of the Galleria Mall in Houston.

Police were first called to respond to reports of a shooting at the mall around 5 p.m. on June 3.

According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, Sanders’ fiancee told detectives he was picking her up from work the night of the shooting. As she was leaving the mall, the fiancee entered an elevator with a group of men, including the defendants, whom she did not know. The fiancee stated the men asked her a question, which she ignored. One of the men then allegedly called her a “stupid ugly b—.” The men exited the elevator and the fiancee got off at a different floor to meet Sanders.

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The fiancee detailed what had transpired to Sanders, who then drove around the parking garage, with their child also in the car, to find the men, the affidavit said. He saw the men and drove up to them. Sanders and the defendants had a verbal exchange before returning to their respective cars. While exiting the parking garage, the suspects were passengers in a Chrysler 300 in front of Sanders when the driver “brake-checked” the alleged victim. The suspects and Sanders then got out of their cars, cops said.

Guzman allegedly tapped his bag and said, “you don’t want to mess with me.” That’s when Guzman and Cinan pulled out guns and started shooting Sanders, according to the affidavit. The suspects allegedly fired at least 14 times.

After the shooting, cops working at the mall converged on the scene. They saw Sanders’ fiancee screaming for help. Paramedics rushed Sanders to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. His fiancee and their son were not injured in the shooting.

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Guzman and Cinan sped away but were apprehended a short time later. When Guzman stepped out of the car, at least two spent cartridges fell off his lap, cops noted. The Chrysler was riddled with bullet holes as the suspects kept firing as they were driving away, according to police.

Police initially let the defendants go, as the investigation was in its infant stages.

When detectives later spoke with Guzman and Cinan, they allegedly claimed the shooting was in self-defense. According to the affidavit, Guzman told detectives they were leaving the mall when Sanders came “on their tail.” He said they pulled over and got out of their car to wave Sanders past them. But Guzman claimed that Sanders started threatening them, saying “I’ll f— y’all up,” “Ya’ll are p—ies” and “I’ll do it to y’all right here.” The defendant told cops Sanders had a gun and knife on him — but investigators found no weapons on the victim, the affidavit stated.

The victim’s parents, veterans themselves, spoke with local CBS affiliate KHOU.

“We’re here for justice, justice for Anthony and also to stand for what he stood for as a person, and also to bring awareness to what’s going on in today’s society here in Houston,” said his father, Frank Sanders. “This was uncalled for.”

A GoFundMe page described Sanders as a “devoted father.”

Cops arrested Cinan on June 25 while Guzman turned himself in to police on Monday. Cinan has a $1 million bond while Guzman is being held on a $750,000 bond. Their next court date is scheduled for Wednesday.

The post ‘You don’t wanna mess with me’: Marine veteran gunned down in front of young son after confronting men who disrespected his fiancee, cops say first appeared on Law & Crime.