An evening out at a Texas restaurant turned deadly for a dad, stepmom, and son recently.
A husband and wife were enjoying a night out at a south Houston restaurant when a man decided to interrupt them while they were dancing. The man allegedly groped the wife who turned and slapped him. The couple then decided that it was time to leave.
The man apparently wouldn’t quit and followed the couple into the parking lot where he grabbed the wife and punched the husband. Video later showed that the husband appeared unconscious after the attack.
The couple’s 21-year-old son saw what was happening when he was leaving the restaurant and opened fire on the attacker. The man was taken to a hospital but did not survive. Witnesses and video clearly showed that the son was protecting his parents. The father said that he had been shot during a robbery a few years back and he believed that’s why his son acted quickly.
The father and son were questioned at the scene by police but were allowed to leave. The wife was shot in the leg during the ordeal but is expected to be fine.
Sgt Kenneth Daignault of Houston Police Department stated:
From what I’ve seen on video and from what everybody is telling me, yes, he’s clearly taking action to protect his dad and mom. VIA NEWSWEEK
No charges were filed but the case will be referred to a grand jury.
BREAKING: @houstonpolice investigating a deadly shooting, scene unfolding right now at parking lot behind sports bar — Bombshells here off Gulf Fwy in SE #Houston.
Waiting for details from investigators but we’re hearing one person may possibly be detained. #khou11 #htownrush pic.twitter.com/hJqTH7Pm0d— Michelle Choi (@MichelleKHOU) September 25, 2020
We don’t get to choose the time and place of an attack against us. We will never know the motivation for this one but it does illustrate that there are unstable people out there.
This couple initially did the right thing by trying to remove themselves from the area and away from what they might have thought was just a creepy guy. Unfortunately, he was able to get close enough to them again to escalate his attack. The suspect was said to be in his thirty’s so he likely had a fighting advantage over the father.
For the son to be justified in using deadly force to protect his parents, he needs to be able to show that they were facing a deadly force threat. With his father unconscious on the ground and the attack continuing against his stepmother that would seem to be a reasonable conclusion.
The fact that they weren’t arrested and were allowed to leave the scene would seem to indicate that the local authorities agreed with the son’s actions.
This case also illustrates why so many firearms trainers encourage their students to carry everywhere they legally can. Without his gun, the son would have little choice but to go hands-on with the attacker that just knocked out his father.
The son should probably get some more training though. Shooting your stepmom while trying to save her may take a very long time to live down.
