Eyewitness recounts shooting

At 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, February 5, a shooting took place at the Valero Pit Stop in Bolivar. Bryce Peters, a recent Sanger High School graduate, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The victim, who was shot, is currently in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Peters remains in Denton County Jail and was denied bail by a judge this week.

A witness, who works at the Pit Stop, provided an account of the incident to the Sanger News. She observed Peters approaching the outside entrance of the convenience store when a middle-aged man, seated (inside) at a table near the front windows, got up, walked to the entrance doors, then punched Peters in the face hard enough that Peters’ head struck the window really hard.  Once Peters regained his bearings, he fired five shots at the man from outside the store, striking the victim three times. All five shots were fired from outside the store at the victim, which was inside Pit Stop.  The three bullets that struck the victim passed through him, hitting parts of the store.  The victim managed to crawl back to the kitchen area, where employees assisted him.

The witness, who was behind the counter with two other employees, took cover on the floor until the gunfire subsided. The store owners were in the back office at the time, and around six customers were present. The employees activated the silent alarm, and the witness estimated that the police arrived quickly on the scene within 6 to 7 minutes. Peters remained outside until authorities arrived, surrendering willingly with his hands raised. Peters claimed self defense to authorities. But, one of the main reasons a judge has denied bail, because he continued to shoot inside the store, while innocent customers and employees were in the area.  Fortunately, no one else was injured in the chaos. Clearly, Peter’s wasn’t trying to shoot them, but the stray bullets could have injured or killed innocent bystanders.

Following the incident, the witness expressed that everyone was shaken up, and she now feels more cautious about who enters the store. This local favorite establishment has been a staple in Bolivar/Sanger for nearly 19 years, and nothing like this has ever happened before. It’s always been a safe, family-friendly environment with great food and has some of the most competitive fuel prices in the area.

The injured man lives near the Pit Stop but is not a regular customer. The witness noted that she had heard that Peters and the victim had a history of previous altercations. The shooting victim’s name has not been released at this time.  

A bullet hole, which cracked the front window at Pit Stop is covered with duct tape a day after the shooting. Peters shot through the window, standing from the outside. In all, Peters shot five bullets inside Pit Stop, hitting the victim three times. There were two stray bullets and the other three entered and exited the victim, with those bullet marks ending up throughout the inside of the store. Luckily, the three employees, two owners and six customers were not struck or injured.