The man who shot and killed an armed robber at a Texas restaurant will face a grand jury, police have said. The unnamed man, who hasn’t been identified since he hasn’t been formally charged with a crime at this time, shot 30-year-old Eric Eugene Washington nine times — including once in the head at point-blank range — as a way of “protecting everyone” at Ranchito Taqueria during the incident.
Washington entered the restaurant dressed all in black with a mask covering his face. He was holding a gun and demanded money from terrified patrons while pointing the weapon at them. However, he had no idea that there was one customer with a weapon of his own.
“As the suspect collected money from patrons, one of the patrons, described as a white or Hispanic male, produced a gun of his own and shot the suspect multiple times,” Houston police said in a statement, per Law&Crime. “The shooter collected the stolen money from the suspect and returned the money to other patrons. He and other patrons (victims) then fled the scene.”
Eric Eugene Washington was pronounced dead at the scene and his gun was later determined to be fake. Authorities then began to search for the man who shot him, with the 46-year-old eventually coming forward and lending his full cooperation.
“Today (Jan. 9), the male, 46, was questioned by Houston police homicide detectives,” police stated. “After consulting with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, it was determined the shooting will be referred to a grand jury. Since the male is not arrested or charged, his identity is not being released.”
The shooter said he was “traumatized” and “feared for his life” during the robbery and that killing Washington “will burden him for the rest of his life.” However, he did what he felt needed to be done to protect himself and other patrons.
Per The Daily Mail, Washington had previously served six years of a 15-year sentence for aggravated assualt with a deadly weapon during another armed robbery.
