Posted on 01/07/2023 11:54:16 AM PST by lowbridge
A customer at Ranchito Taqueria shot and killed a man who robbed the restaurant in southwest Houston late Thursday night, according to the Houston Police Department.
It happened just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the restaurant on S. Gessner near Bellaire Boulevard.
Houston police said the armed man in a mask came inside the restaurant, demanding money and wallets from customers. However, as he was leaving, one of those customers shot the suspect.
The incident was caught on surveillance video.
Houston police also released surveillance photos of the customer who shot the robber in the video. Investigators said he is wanted for questioning for his role in the shooting. He has not been identified and is not charged at this time.
A photo of his 1970s or 80s model pickup truck with no bed was also released
The shooter collected the stolen money from the robber and returned it to the other patrons, police said. Then the rest of the people in the restaurant left the scene before the police arrived.
No one else in the restaurant was injured. Investigators said the suspect ended up not having a real gun.
“The robbery suspect he came into the store and was wearing masks and gloves,” HPD Lt. Wilkens said. “He had a plastic pistol possibly an aero soft or possibly a little BB pistol.”
The surveillance video shows the shooting going down. It shows customers, witnesses, and the shooter leaving the scene right after the shooting.
(Excerpt) Read more at khou.com ...
I’m gonna guess he is safe in Mexico by now.
BTW, those taquerias need a grubstake of money to get off the ground. A moment’s thought will tell a wise monkey why they are a poor place to rob OR look for witnesses. They are only slightly less dicey than robbing a mafia card game.
And the food is good too!
Looked fine to me.
So we can’t shoot people in the back waving a gun at other people now?
F-him.
Its Texas. He “deserved to die”.
The good guy had no idea what they robber was going to do. The robber wasn’t running out the door, and he could have turned around and started shooting for all the good guy knew. He’s not playing by the same rules as the cops.
This is a slam dunk. No way he’s being charged. BUT, don’t talk to the cops. Nothing you tell them will help you.
> f they find this guy they will prosecute <
Oh, yes. Texas might be an R state. But this shooting happened in very D Houston.
I watched the video a couple of times. The hero was careful to wait for the opportunity for a clean shot without risking others being in the line of fire. There was one customer to the right of the line of fire, but unless the hero was a really bad shot, he was not in danger. Who knows whether the thug was leaving. He didn’t seem to exactly be announcing to the crowd his itinerary.
He baffles me that after the fact so many people pretend they are mind-readers and know exactly how far the criminal plans to go. He is already robbing them while pointing a gun at them. How do they know he is not going to start killing them one by one in the next minute. And, he didn’t announce the gun was fake.
“Excuse me Mr Criminal sir. Is that a real pistol or a BB gun?”.
Threatening/robbing people with a fake pistol is considered the same as using a real pistol under the law. Waving said pistol around and pointing it at people is grounds to fire upon such a person. You don’t have to wait for someone to get shot.
came inside the restaurant, demanding money and wallets
Didn’t this happen in Pulp Fiction?
Probably so, and where pickups like that one are far more common.
And you're right about the taquerias. The one bright light about my upcoming 3-year shore duty in San Diego will be the food.
The perp was still armed, still a threat, and NOT FLEEING, as the article might have you believe ("...as he was leaving")
Yessir... the one bright spot from the birder flood. Have fun in SD.
It’s already been rattle canned by now.
The only word he should say when the cops come to question him is, “Lawyer.”
Should the robbery victim wait until the armed suspect was facing him with a gun in his hand? You know, to make it a fair gun fight?
C'mon...
Btw, the suspect was pointing his gun right at the patron seated to the left of the door when the suspect was shot.
One of the best justice videos I’ve ever seen.
YeS, due to his actions and behavior, the robber received what he deserved.
The hero shooter’s biggest issue is leaving the scene.
Doesn’t matter here, laws are far different in Texas
According to the law you can use deadly force to stop someone stealing your newspaper if it’s dark outside-would not recommend though
Also, what would prevent someone painting the tip of a real gun orange?
DO talk to your lawyer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.