We have an update for those following the story of a Houston vigilante, the one who shot a toy gun waving robber to death. Police announced the man turned himself in and they had a nice chat. He’s nowhere close to off the hook but also not in jail.
Vigilante fate uncertain
The fate of an avenging vigilante will be up to a grand jury to decide. On Monday, January 9, police in Houston, Texas, issued a statement confirming “the man who fatally shot an armed robber at a taco restaurant met with police detectives, and although no charges were filed, the case will be referred to a grand jury.” That’s a satisfactory compromise, considering the circumstances.
While everything the unnamed customer did that evening wasn’t exactly right, nobody can really say that shooting the robber was wrong. Let’s put this one up for the community to ponder.
Officials explain they “did not identify the 46-year-old man because he is not currently facing charges.” Facts of the case revolve around a vigilante style incident, where the “customer shot and killed the armed robber, identified by police on Monday as Eric Eugene Washington, 30, at The Ranchito #4 around 11:30 p.m. on January 5.”
— Kilgore Trout (@Kilgore73862013) January 10, 2023
He elected himself “judge, jury and executioner,” carrying out the sentence in seconds.
By the time cops arrived on scene, the vigilante was gone, along with his dinner companion and all the robbery victims. They didn’t want their wallets impounded as evidence. The man who ended the criminal’s career wasn’t ready to talk to police right then but also didn’t try to evade taking responsibility.
They would have found him sooner or later, why make things worse? This way he has a chance to have some legal help explaining his side of it. Objective observers aren’t willing to throw the book at him but at the same time, aren’t ready to give him a free pass on some questionable actions. It’s important to keep an open mind until the grand jury meets. Even after that, because there will almost certainly be a trial.
What happened that night
Witnesses confirmed the security video, telling police “that a man in a ski mask entered the restaurant and pointed a pistol at customers, demanding their money.” That’s not nice, even if it was a toy pistol. It looked real enough.
In today’s society, police can’t be everywhere and the vigilante has the right to carry a defensive weapon. He may or may not have had the proper legal right to conceal it, though. That question didn’t really factor in to the episode either way but will be something for the grand jury to kick around.
As the robber was collecting his loot, the vigilante took the opportunity to take him out. Not face-to-face but by shooting him in the back. Multiple times. If you’re committed to confront an apparently armed maniac with deadly force, why give him a chance to fire first?
HOUSTON, TEXAS / Asalto a mano armada en la taquería El Ranchito #4 terminó en el agresor asesinado por uno de los comensales, luego este se va del lugar, no sin antes devolver lo atracado. El agresor de unos 20 años de edad y la pistola que empuñaba era de plástico, no era real. pic.twitter.com/Cq2e6UemXs
— Jonathan Tapia (@JonTapiaSS) January 8, 2023
The customer followed as the bandito hit the floor then capped him in the head to make sure he wasn’t going to get back up. That, liberals will whine, was clearly excessive. On the other hand, after shooting the guy in the back that many times, he didn’t have real great chances anyway. At least, this way, he was out of his misery. That grand jury is going to have a really rough discussion.
It didn’t take long for the video to go viral. The police had a photo of the vigilante plastered across TV screens everywhere. His friends and co-workers were sure to notice.
It’s not clear if he had a lawyer when he met with police but he did the right thing by coming in for questioning. He did that on Monday. He sat down with homicide detectives but that doesn’t mean he’ll be charged with murder. This is one to follow closely so we’ll keep you posted as the case develops.
