*Houston police have questioned and released a man who shot a robber nine times at a taco restaurant on Thursday (Jan. 5).
The incident occurred at Ranchito #4 Taqueria in southwest Houston and was captured on surveillance video. Police had been searching for the customer who shot the robber, identified as 30-year-old Eric Eugene Washington, SandraRose reports.
According to KHOU-11, the unidentified vigilante was questioned by homicide detectives, then released without charges. The case is reportedly headed to a grand jury to determine if the gunman will face criminal charges.
As we reported previously, Thomas Nixon, a former Houston Police Dept. officer, now attorney, explained to KPRC-TV that the shooter was within his rights to protect himself.
READ MORE: Robber Fatally Shot by Customer At Houston Taco Restaurant | WATCH-it-Happen
In an ominous phone call Thursday morning hours before the robbery at El Ranchito that would end his life, 30-year-old Eric Eugene Washington promised his mother, Corine Goodman, he would do better. https://t.co/UGEWWMaIam
— FOX26Houston (@FOX26Houston) January 11, 2023
“The person he shot was in the process of committing robbery and consequently his use of force in defense of himself and innocent third parties is completely justified in Texas,” Nixon said. He added, “It is a justifiable homicide, but the grand jury in Harris County is going to want to know all parties involved in the homicide so that they can investigate.”
The video surveillance footage shows the robber entering the restaurant with a black mask and gun drawn and demanding money from customers who were enjoying their meals. However, as Washington goes to exit the establishment after collecting his loot, one of the customers pulls out a gun, and shoots him nine times.
Per SandraRose, “Liberals on Twitter expressed outrage because Washington is Black. Twitter users say the final shot into his head was overkill and unnecessary,” the outlet writes.
As Washington lay dead on the floor, the gunman removes the money he stole and returns the cash to the customers
“If you’re justified in shooting the first bullet, you’re justified in continuing to shoot until the deadly threat is no longer there,” said KHOU Legal Analyst Carmen Roe. She noted that police sought to question the gunman to find out if “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,” she said.
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