A restaurant customer will not face charges for shooting what appeared to be an armed robber several times in the back and again while the man was on the floor after the grand jury declined to indict, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Texas said in a statement obtained by The Houston Chronicle.
As seen on surveillance footage, Eric Eugene Washington, 30, robbed El Ranchito restaurant on South Gessner Road in the city of Houston on the night of Jan. 5, 2023. He is seen walking around, pointing a gun at and demanding money from customers.
Some of the customers who are hiding under a table slide some money to Washington, who sees it, picks it up and heads toward the door.
What Washington did not see was a seated customer close to him pulling out a handgun. As Washington passed by the customer, the patron drew his gun, pointed it at the robber’s back and fired.
It turned out that Washington’s gun was plastic.
At the time, officers offered no public opinion as to whether the shooting was legally justified. They passed the case to prosecutors.
“Today (Jan. 9), the male, 46, was questioned by Houston police homicide detectives,” police said last year. “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.”
A customer shot and killed Eric Eugene Washington at El Ranchito restaurant in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 5, 2023. (Screenshot: Law&Crime Network)
Washington previously spent seven years in prison for an aggravated robbery case that ended in the death of a cellphone store owner, according to Fox affiliate Houston KRIV. His mother, Corine Goodman, reportedly said her son had been there, but did not kill the slain victim, Hamid Waraich, 62. She acknowledged her son’s criminal past, expressing an apology to Waraich’s family.
Washington reportedly had also been charged in December 2022 with assaulting his common-law wife.
Speaking of his general condition, Goodman said her son had recently gotten out of prison and had a baby son. She said she did not condone what he did — “he knew better” — but she questioned why the customer had to open fire so many times.
“If you had to kill him, I can deal with that,” she said, her voice breaking. “I can come to grips with that he did something wrong. I understand that. But for him to be shot four times in the back, leaving, and when he falls down and [the customer] shoots him four more times …”
Washington died at the scene.
“You abused him. He was dead already,” Goodman reportedly said. “And that hurt. That hurts.”
At the time, the customer’s attorney, Juan Guerra Jr., told the outlet that his client acted in self-defense, fearing for his life. The incident was traumatic and taking a human life will burden him for the rest of his life.
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