Ambushed business owner opens fire on masked men, killing them both, Texas cops say

Two men are dead after ambushing an armed business owner in what investigators believe was an attempted robbery, according to Texas police.

Officers with the Houston Police Department responded to calls of a shooting near a business on the city’s east side after 11 a.m. on Aug. 16, Assistant Chief Chandra Hatcher said during a news briefing.

Officers arrived to find two masked men shot to death, Hatcher said.

The business owner told police he had just returned from the bank, gotten out of his vehicle and was entering his business when someone hit him in the back of the head with an “unknown object,” Hatcher said.

The owner turned around, saw the two men in masks and “immediately” opened fire, Hatcher said. An employee, who was armed, heard the commotion and also shot at the men.

“To anyone who’s watching … please consider your actions, consider your decisions, because choices have consequences,” Hatcher said at the briefing. “The suspects here, I would believe, have loved ones who will now be grieving their loss.”

Police believe the business owner was the target of a jugging attempt, Hatcher said.

Jugging is a type of theft in which criminals follow a victim leaving a bank to their next location and rob them of the money they’ve just withdrawn.

The business had been robbed previously, according to Hatcher.

“We don’t ever advocate violence … but our citizens do have the right to defend themselves,” she said.

The business owner is “shaken” but “fine,” Hatcher said.

Another suspect was at the scene, waiting nearby in a Lincoln Navigator, but the SUV drove away when the shooting started, according to Hatcher. Investigators are searching for the vehicle, which had the license plate number RTS3919.

Police are investigating and anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the department’s homicide division at 713-308-3600.

Evidence will be turned over to a grand jury, which will decide what charges, if any, should be brought against the business owner, Hatcher said.

This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Ambushed business owner opens fire on masked men, killing them both, Texas cops say."