According to the Houston Police Department, a customer at Ranchito Taqueria shot and killed a guy who robbed the restaurant late on Thursday night in southwest Houston. Let’s see Why the Houston robbery suspect was shot to death by the customer in Taqueria in detail.
Why was Houston robbery suspect shot to death by customer in Taqueria?
According to police, a customer in Houston shot and killed a suspect who was robbing other customers inside a restaurant.
The customer who shot the defendant allegedly fled the scene, and the Houston Police Department wants to question him. He is not facing any charges.
Police have posted images of a man they want to speak with and his pickup truck, a model from the 1970s or 1980s without a bed.
KHOU Legal Analyst Carmen Roe said,
“One of the reasons that law enforcement is seeking out this individual is to find out whether or not he was in fear for his life or the lives of the people around him because that’s absolutely essential to a self-defense claim under the law.”
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
What happened?
At around 11:30 p.m., it happened at The Ranchito #4 on S. Gessner and Bellaire.
When the masked robber entered, around 10 customers were eating inside. He pointed a revolver at them and started stealing their wallets and cellphones, according to HPD Lt. R. Willkens.
The taqueria’s owner, Pedro Lopez, claimed that both he and his staff are still in shock.
The moment numerous customers fall to the ground can be seen in surveillance footage that ABC13 was able to obtain.
This occurs immediately after the thief shouts and waves what appears to be a gun. One of the customers got up as the guy was leaving and shot him many times. On the spot, he passed away.
It was business as usual on Friday night at The Ranchito Taqueria off Gessner in southwest Houston, as if nothing had ever happened.
Less than twenty-four hours after a robbery suspect was killed by gunfire, the restaurant was open and the glass door had already been restored.
Everything was recorded on surveillance video.
KHOU Legal Analyst Carmen Roe claims that it looks like the shooting was done in self-defense.
She said,
“If you’re justified in shooting the first bullet, you’re justified in continuing to shoot until the deadly threat is no longer there.”
Even if the pistol was a fake, according to Roe, the threat was real.
She said,
“Everybody in that restaurant clearly believed it was a real gun.”
Many people have questioned whether the restaurant’s shooter was required by law to remain inside the establishment until the cops came.
Roe said,
“Staying there to answer questions, is important. It’s something that as a lawyer I would have advised to have done, but at the same time, you have no obligation to stay on the scene of a situation like that.”
According to Nathan Beedle with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office , Texas law identifies specific circumstances relating to aggravated robbery, or robbery by menace, in which the use of lethal force is presumed to be justified.
Beedle said,
“I can point you exactly where it is in the law, 9.31 and 9.32 of the penal code,”
“Whether someone uses deadly force in the situation, that is presumed to be correct under Texas law.”
Investigation
Willkens claimed that the suspect was carrying a plastic pistol, possibly an air-soft or BB gun. The suspect and the person, according to the investigators, have not been named.
The owner and the staff were in the store alone after the customers left. In addition to the suspect’s car, police also published images of the individual they think fired the shot.
The man, according to HPD, is wanted for interrogation but is not currently charged.
Please contact Houston police’s homicide unit at 713-308-3600 if you have any information about him.
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