Hate struck a night out at the SRO Lounge in San Diego early Saturday morning when two transgender patrons were injured by pellet gun rounds. Witnesses have called it a targeted act of hate, and the LGBTQ+ community is shaken by yet another attack on their safe spaces.
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The Attack: Chaos Unleashed Outside the Bar
Bartender Pedro Lomeli was working that night when he heard a sudden series of loud “plops”—the unmistakable sound of pellet rounds striking the crowd outside the bar. “Loud plops. Pop, pop, pop,” Lomeli recalled to ABC News. “I heard that and saw everyone scramble outside.” Lomeli rushed to the scene, finding a patron clutching her bleeding hand in shock. “First thing I see when I run outside is this girl holding her hand, and she’s bleeding a lot,” he said.
@abc10news At least two people were injured early Saturday morning when someone fired pellet gun rounds at patrons outside the SRO Lounge in Bankers Hill. Bartender Pedro Lomeli tells ABC 10News he believes the attack was motivated by hate. “This is supposed to be a safe place,” Lomeli said. “That’s why it hurts. It takes away the peace from our patrons.”
One of the victims, a veteran, was visibly shaken by the attack. “She said she hasn’t felt like this since she was overseas,” Lomeli explained. It wasn’t just the physical pain of the injury, but the psychological trauma of an unprovoked assault. The second victim managed to get back inside the bar before realizing the extent of her injury—a large welt on her shoulder.
A Hate-Fueled Incident? The Shooter Flees the Scene
Witnesses reported seeing an older black Ford F-150 speeding away after firing five to ten rounds. Although the injuries were not life-threatening, the possibility of a hate-driven motive lingered. Lomeli didn’t hesitate to speak his mind: “I think it’s hate. It’s unfortunate, as we are just regular people going about our lives. It’s just really sad.”
The attack at SRO Lounge was not an isolated incident. Just a few miles away, outside Flicks, another LGBTQ+ bar in Hillcrest, a similar pellet gun shooting occurred, though no injuries were reported there. The San Diego Police Department is investigating both incidents, though they have not yet classified them as hate crimes. They are, however, looking into potential links to a string of pellet gun attacks on Hillcrest bars last year, which led to guilty pleas from four young men charged with assault.
Safe Spaces Under Siege: The Emotional Toll on the Community
Lomeli expressed the pain that many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling: “It hurts more than anything because it takes the peace away from the patrons that come and seek this as a safe space.” For many, places like the SRO Lounge and Flicks are more than just bars—they are refuges from a world that often feels hostile. When those spaces are violated, it’s a loss felt deeply by everyone who relies on them for safety and support.
Eddie Reynoso, a victim of a pellet gun attack earlier this year, spoke to ABC News about the emotional toll of these ongoing incidents. Reynoso, who was shot in the eye during a similar attack in May, has grown frustrated. “It’s not a prank. This is a targeted attack on the LGBT community,” he said. That attack remains unsolved, adding to the growing sense of helplessness and frustration among those affected.
The Fight for Safety Continues: A Call for Action
While police have assured the public that they take all acts of violence seriously, many are questioning whether enough is being done to protect LGBTQ+ patrons. Lomeli’s words reflect a shared concern: “We are just regular people going about our lives. We want to feel safe when we go out.”
The LGBTQ+ community has long fought for acceptance, visibility, and safety, but incidents like this highlight just how fragile those gains are. It’s a reminder that while progress has been made, there’s still much work to be done. Hate may not always manifest in the most obvious ways, but every attack—no matter how small—chips away at the peace and safety many of us rely on. A bullet doesn’t need to be lethal to wound the spirit.