HOUSTON – A Harris County grand jury has declined to file charges against a man who shot and killed a robber who was believed to have been armed during a taqueria heist in southwest Houston in 2023.
According to District Attorney Kim Ogg, jurors “no billed” the shooter, who was a customer at the El Ranchito restaurant on South Gessner on Jan. 5, 2023, when 30-year-old Eric Eugene Washington entered the restaurant and robbed several customers. The shooting was captured on security video.
Pablo Lopez Garcia is the owner of the taqueria and believes the grand jury made the right decision.
“We are happy that no charges were filed against him because he was defending his life and the lives of others. He didn’t ask to be in that position,” Garcia said.
The shooting was caught on camera and shows Washington flashing what appeared to be a gun at customers while they were eating. He goes one by one to each person picking up money from the floor. As Washington walks to the back of the restaurant, a customer pulls out his gun and shoots him multiple times. Washington died at the scene.
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Shortly after, the shooter realized that Washington’s gun was fake. Garcia says business at the taqueria has declined.
“It’s still slow, especially at night. A lot of customers are afraid to come here. There’s a lot of people hanging around the restaurant at night,” he said.
Reporter Re’Chelle Turner tried speaking to the shooter but no one was home. Garcia said he wanted to thank him.
“We are thankful for him and we hope he will return to the restaurant so we can say hi,” he said.
Turner reached out to the shooter’s attorney and is waiting for a statement.
Grand jurors reviewed the case following an investigation by the Houston Police Department.
The DA’s office requires that all homicides be reviewed by a grand jury to allow members of the community to determine the appropriate outcome. The process ensures that all such cases are subject to community review at the grand jury and, if necessary, trial level, Ogg said.
Harris County grand juries are composed of 12 randomly selected residents who meet regularly for three months to review all criminal charges to decide whether there is enough evidence for a case to proceed. If nine or more grand jurors agree that probable cause exists, they issue a “true bill,” or indictment, and the case continues through the criminal justice system. If nine or more grand jurors determine probable cause does not exist, they may issue a “no bill,” effectively clearing the individual of criminal wrongdoing. The final decision as to whether to indict rests with grand jurors, not with prosecutors.
“This process ensures that members of the community, rather than the District Attorney’s Office, determine the appropriate outcome in all homicides in Harris County,” a statement from Ogg’s office said.
Last year, Lt. R. Willkens with HPD said a masked man with what was believed to be a “plastic gun” pointed it at customers who were eating inside the restaurant and demanded their wallets and money. Surveillance video showed customers throwing cash to the floor as the robber walked to each customer one by one, waving what appeared to be a gun around.
Watch report from KPRC 2 reporter Bryce Newberry:
When Washington walked past a man sitting in one of the booths, the video showed the man getting up from his seat, pulling out a gun and shooting Washington several times.
Washington died at the scene.
Multiple community activists and civil rights organizations spoke out against the patron after the incident and said that while they didn’t condone Washington’s actions and behavior, the patron broke the law.
Quanell X said that once the man shot Washington the first time, he was no longer a threat.
KPRC 2′s Re’Chelle Turner contributed to this report.