HOUSTON, TX- Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. A criminal who thought it was a good idea to rob a Houston Mexican restaurant last week. Unfortunately for our bandito, he paid for that idea with his life.
On January 5, a man entered the Ranchito Taqueria in southwest Houston pointing a gun at customers and forcing them to hand over money. As our not-so-friendly robber walked out of the restaurant, a customer who was exercising his Second Amendment rights shot and killed the bad guy as other customers in the restaurant ducked for cover, Newsweek reports.
The incident was captured on a 30-second clip, which may be found below:
Houston police pleaded for the shooter to come forward, saying they wanted to interview him. Police issued a press release in which they say they have not filed charges against the man who left the scene after shooting the armed robber, but are looking to speak to him about “his role in the shooting.”
The hero was described as a white or Hispanic male, who returned the money to the victimized patrons. He fired multiple shots at the suspect, including one into the suspect’s head as he lay on the ground.
ABC News reported Houston police issued the following statement about the incident:
“Witnesses told officers the suspect entered the restaurant and pointed a pistol at patrons as he demanded their money. As the suspect collected money from patrons, one of the patrons, described as a white or Hispanic male, produced a gun of his own and shot the suspect multiple times.”
UPDATE: Surveillance photos of the male (and his vehicle) wanted for questioning in this fatal shooting of a robbery suspect last night (Jan. 5).
Know the man's ID? Call HPD Homicide 713-308-3600. He is not charged at this time.
More info at https://t.co/ldFdhIXy1g#hounews https://t.co/CIqpLEQmmM pic.twitter.com/FrL42qkjxu
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) January 6, 2023
On Wednesday, it was reported that police have made contact with the hero shooter who actually reached out to them and is said to be cooperating with investigators. It is also reported that the matter is slated to be referred to a grand jury.
It should also be noted that Houston’s district attorney is far-left zealot Kim Ogg, who rode to office with the help of Marxist billionaire idealogue George Soros’s deep wallet.
Nathan Beedle with the Harris County District Attorney’s office said the shooting death could be justified.
“I can point you exactly where it is in the law, 93.1 and 93.2 of the penal code, Beedle told KHOU, the local CBS affiliate. “Whether someone uses deadly force in the situation, that is presumed to be correct under Texas law.”
God Bless Texas.
The dead bandito was identified as Eric Eugene Washington, 30, who was shot nine times, including the one bullet to the head. According to reports Washington is a career criminal who was only out on the street because he was released on bond by Ogg, a soft-on-criminals prosecutor.
Sources say that Washington was out on bond for related to a domestic disturbance where he attacked his girlfriend by allegedly shoving and scratching her. He had previously spent six years in jail for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.
In 2015, Washington was convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and received a 15 year prison sentence in connection with the shooting death of Hamid Waraich, 62, a cellphone store owner. He was released on parole in 2021.
At the time of the restaurant robbery this past week, he was out on bond regarding the assault case on his girlfriend.
The attorney for the hero shooter released the following statement:
My client, who wishes to remain anonymous, was dining with a friend at El Ranchito Taqueria and as it has been seen on video, a robbery suspect entered the restaurant, and pointed a weapon at my client and the other customers demanding money. In fear of his life and his friend’s life, my client acted to protect everyone in the restaurant.
In Texas, a shooting is justified in self-defense, defense of others and in defense of property. The customer has met with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and Investigators with HPD [Houston Police Department] homicide. He fully intends to continue cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
When the investigation is complete this case will be presented to a Grand Jury. We are confident that a Grand Jury will conclude that the shooting was justified under Texas Law. This event has been very traumatic, taking a human life is something he does not take lightly and will burden him for the rest of his life. For that reason, he wishes to remain anonymous. Due to the overwhelming coverage, we ask the media and the public to respect his privacy.”
The lawyer further said that the incident was “traumatic” to his client, and noted that “taking a human life is something he does not take lightly and will burden him for the rest of his life.”
In response to Washington’s “untimely” demise at the hands of our hero shooter, the son of Hamid Waraich pulled no punches.
“Eric [Washington] was an evil criminal that took joy in harassing and robbing innocent families,” Sean Waraich told ABC-13. “The individual at the taqueria is a true hero.”
One side note on the robbery at the taqueria. Washington was carrying a facsimile firearm.
Bad idea.
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