A Texas grand jury declined to indict a man who shot and killed an alleged armed robber of a Houston taqueria last year. The case sparked controversy as some claimed the Good Samaritan used excessive force while others hailed him a hero.
George Soros-funded Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg’s office announced the grand jury “no-billed” the unidentified man. This after hearing evidence gathered by Houston Police Department investigators after the deadly incident.
Surveillance footage showed 30-year-old Eric Eugene Washington collecting money from restaurant customers as he brandished what appeared to be a pistol.
The investigation later determined that Washington only had a fake plastic handgun.
The grand jury decision meant at least nine of the citizens empaneled determined there was not enough probable cause to indict, according to the DA’s statement.
TEXAS JUSTICE UNDEFEATED
Massive W for the Lone Star State
BREAKING: Texas grand jury decides to NOT charge man who shot and killed robber at Houston taqueria in viral videohttps://t.co/OLtxalvm3Bhttps://t.co/OLtxalvm3B
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 4, 2024
The dramatic incident unfolded on Jan. 5, 2023, at about 11:30 p.m. As Washington passed his table allegedly pointing the fake pistol at diners, the armed customer opened fire.
Police reported the diner got off at least nine shots, and the alleged robber died in the doorway of the El Ranchito taqueria.
After the video went viral, several community activists called for the unidentified shooter to be prosecuted. They blasted him as a vigilante with no regard for human life.
Washington’s mother, Corine Goodman, acknowledged the dangerous situation but said the diner should have only fired enough shots to end the threat.
She said, “If you had to kill him, I can deal with that. I can come to grips with that. He did something wrong, I understand that. But for him to be shot four times in the back leaving and when he falls down and he shoots him four more times. He abused him.”
But others noted that the man had reason to believe his life was in danger and acted with appropriate force. Under Texas law, the firearm being fake does not factor into culpability for the customer.
As Houston criminal defense attorney Sean Buckley explained to Fox News Digital, as long as the diner “believes that the firearm was real or could have been real, that’s what is important, not the actual nature of it.”
