Grand Jury Declines to Charge Armed Patron Who Fatally Shot Robber in Houston Taqueria

Feel good story of the day.

Last January, a robber was shot to death by a patron at a taqueria on S. Gessner just before midnight last Thursday night.

Surveillance video shows a black male in a black ski mask walking around the taqueria and robbing customers at gunpoint (it later turned out he was holding a BB gun).

A bald man seated near the robber jumped into action and shot the suspect dead.

According to Houston Police, the Good Samaritan then collected the money from the suspect and gave it back to the robbery victims.

WATCH:

Houston Police want to speak this man, but he’s not charged with a crime. HPD says a gunman was robbing people at a taqueria on S. Gessner last night. During the robbery, this man shot and killed the suspect… collected the money, gave it back to the robbery victims, and left. pic.twitter.com/nPtDxw2lQF

— Joshua Rodriguez (@Joshuajered) January 7, 2023

The unnamed 46-year-old armed customer (pictured below) cooperated with law enforcement and ultimately faced a grand jury.

The armed patron, who still has not been named, won’t be charged, a Harris County jury decided.

KHOU 11 reported:

A grand jury declined to file charges against the man who shot and killed a robber at a southwest Houston taqueria last year.

The shooting happened on Jan. 5, 2023, at the El Ranchito taqueria on South Gessner Road.

In the wake of the shooting, there were calls for the shooter to be charged. Some called him a “vigilante.” Others called the man who shot and killed the robber a hero.

Restaurant owner Pedro Lopez agreed with the grand jury’s decision. He also said the customer who fired the shots hasn’t returned in the year since the shooting.

The 46-year-old shooter was never identified.

Eric Eugene Washington, 30, was shot and killed as he walked through the restaurant robbing people, according to police.

The robbery suspect (now deceased), Eric Washington, 30, was a convicted criminal.

deceased robbery suspect Eric Washington