Texas attorney Gavin Rush caught on camera trying to kill ex-girlfriend at Austin bar

A crazed attorney from Austin, Texas was caught on camera allegedly trying to shoot his ex-girlfriend at the bar she worked at on Saturday, police said.

Gavin Rush, 41, is out on bond after he allegedly stormed into the Anderson Mill Pub with a gun around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and approached his ex, who was behind the bar, according to arrest records obtained by KVUE.

He put a small leather satchel on the table and asked if he could speak with her. When she said “no,” he drew the gun and pointed it at her, with the laser sight aimed at her chest, according to the affidavit and dramatic surveillance footage of the incident shared by Austin City Councilwoman Mackenzie Kelly.

Video of the incident shows two customers at the bar leap into action and tackle Rush, who reportedly fired off multiple shots in the struggle, and held him until police arrived. Fortunately, nobody was struck.

The woman told police that he had just learned that she was in a new relationship, and had recently stopped answering his text messages after he threatened to harm himself and her new partner.

One of the customers who tackled Rush, who wished to remain anonymous, told KVUE that re-watching the footage of the incident makes him “just want to throw up.” 

“I don’t remember doing this, but I pushed his hand up and the gun went off,” he told KVUE. “Then we started flying backwards. I turned and grabbed him around the neck and another shot went off.”

One of the customers said that Rush tried to shoot himself in the head as they took him to the ground, but the man said he was able to keep Rush’s hand off the trigger.

He said three shots were fired in total, including one that shattered the mirror behind Rush’s ex-girlfriend.

“I’m completely deaf in my left ear right now,” the rescuer said.

They were both familiar with the former couple’s backstory, according to Fox 7 Austin.

Rush was charged with a second-degree felony, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon family violence. An emergency protection order was issued against him, and was soon back on the streets after making a $40,000 bond, KVUE reported.

“For $4,000, you can get out, go home, watch Netflix after trying to murder your ex-girlfriend – are you kidding me?” one of the customers said.

Local leaders have also spoke out against how quickly and easily Rush was released from custody 

“This particular case seems to be one where the courts have failed this victim,” Thomas Villarreal, head of the Austin Police Association, told Fox 7.

Councilwoman Kelly, whose district encompasses the pub, tweeted: “This attorney belongs behind bars, pending a lengthy jury of his peers. I’m deeply disturbed watching this video and committed to a safe city.”

Rush has since been fired from the law firm where he had previously worked, the firm confirmed.

He was previously charged in a domestic violence case in which he allegedly choked out a woman in Williamson County in 2017, KVUE reported. The case was ultimately dismissed after he completed anger management counseling.