1 year ago
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A expansive assemblage volition determine whether an equipped taqueria customer, who changeable and killed a robber past week successful southwest Houston and is present being hailed a hero, volition beryllium criminally charged.
Investigators said the 46-year-old customer, who constabulary person not identified due to the fact that he's not nether arrest, turned himself successful and is cooperating with detectives.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Houston robbery shooting: Customer shoots, kills robber equipped with integrative pistol, constabulary say
The 46-year-old's lawyer sent Eyewitness News the pursuing statement:
"My client, who wishes to stay anonymous, was eating with a person astatine El Ranchito Taqueria and arsenic it has been seen connected video, a robbery fishy entered the restaurant, and pointed a limb astatine my lawsuit and the different customers demanding money. In fearfulness of his beingness and his friend's beingness my lawsuit acted to support everyone successful the restaurant.
In Texas, a shooting is justified successful self-defense, defence of others and successful defence of property. The lawsuit has met with the Harris County District Attorney's Office and Investigators with HPD homicide. He afloat intends to proceed cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
When the probe is complete, this lawsuit volition beryllium presented to a Grand Jury. We are assured that a Grand Jury volition reason that the shooting was justified nether Texas Law. This lawsuit has been precise traumatic, taking a quality beingness is thing helium does not instrumentality lightly and volition load him for the remainder of his life. For that reason, helium wishes to stay anonymous. Due to the overwhelming coverage, we inquire the media and the nationalist to respect his privacy."
University of Houston Law Center Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson said adjacent if helium is indicted, a assemblage apt would not convict.
"When a idiosyncratic uses unit during an equipped robbery, they person precise heightened extortion nether the law," Thompson explained. "I cognize that determination are a batch of questions astir the usage of a weapon due to the fact that it wasn't a existent firearm, but that truly doesn't marque a quality due to the fact that it was utilized arsenic a firearm and a idiosyncratic would reasonably judge that they were facing an contiguous menace of deadly force."
The fishy tin beryllium seen connected video taking power of the taqueria and pointing what looks similar a weapon astatine customers.
Suddenly, 1 lawsuit starts shooting, adjacent moving person to the fishy arsenic helium keeps firing shots.
He puts what looks similar the customers' stolen wealth backmost connected the table, past appears to recognize the suspect's weapon wasn't real.
The customers, including the shooter, left, leaving the proprietor and the workers successful the shop.
On Monday, the aesculapian examiner identified 30-year-old Eric Eugene Washington arsenic the robbery fishy who was killed.
Records amusement Washington had an extended transgression past and was retired connected enslaved during the would-be robbery.
Records amusement that successful 2015, Washington was convicted connected a lesser complaint of aggravated robbery with a deadly limb and sentenced to 15 years successful situation successful transportation to the shooting decease of 62-year-old Hamid Waraich, a compartment telephone store owner. Houston constabulary besides charged 2 different men.
According to records, Washington was released connected parole successful 2021 and charged with assaulting his woman successful December 2022.
Waraich had a fiancée and 3 sons who reacted powerfully erstwhile contacted by ABC13.
"If the feline who sopped Eric was astir 10 years ago, possibly I'd inactive person my dad," Aman Waraich, the lad of the store clerk that was killed, said.
"Eric was an evil transgression that took joyousness successful harassing and robbing guiltless families. The idiosyncratic astatine the taqueria is simply a existent hero!" Sean Waraich, the victim's different son, added. "He did the close happening successful stopping the robber and successful protecting the assemblage from a unsafe perpetrator."
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