HOUSTON, Texas – A 78-year-old Texas man shot and killed an armed robber after he was attacked on Houston’s north side Monday morning.
The homeowner, whose name has not been released, stepped outside his home early Monday morning and was approached by two men who robbed him, KTRK ABC13 reported. After taking the man’s wallet, the suspects attempted to flee in a gray pickup truck. The elderly man pulled a handgun and opened fire, striking the truck several times in the rear window.
The truck was later found at a car wash with one person inside the truck. That man had been shot and police later determined he was one of the suspects in the robbery. The suspect was transported to Ben Taub Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The other suspect remains at-large.
The son of the homeowner told reporters from KHOU CBS11 his father was simply defending himself. He said the man felt he had no choice but to fire after having a gun to his head.
A neighbor told the reporter he was awakened to the sound of gunfire. “When I laid down, I hear go, ‘Pow, pow, pow, pow’ real loud, and then I heard commotion, like voices,” the neighbor told KHOU.
In addition to being a homeowner, the man also owns rental property in the neighborhood. “I’m glad that our landlord is OK, ’cause we depend on him a lot,” one of his tenants told the local CBS affiliate. “He looks out for us, he makes a lot of repairs around here, and he works very hard.”
The medical examiner has not yet been able to identify the suspects as a fingerprint search did not provide a positive match.
The homeowner was not charged, but per normal procedure, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office will present the case to a grand jury.
Several criminals have been shot by homeowners during attempted robberies and burglaries in the Houston area over the past few weeks, Breitbart Texas reported late in December.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.