Houston, Texas: Robbery Suspect Shot Dead by Victim's Friend Outside Bissonnet Street Store

Houston police say a man who tried to rob another man outside a southwest Houston convenience store late Saturday was shot dead by a friend of the victim who stepped in during the robbery.

Officers responded at 11:25 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 to reports of a shooting outside the Quick Food Store in the 8900 block of Bissonnet Street, near South Gessner Road in the Braeburn area, according to the Houston Police Department.

Lt. Pulido of the Houston police said three men tried to rob a man outside the store. One of the suspects, armed with a Glock handgun, took personal property from the victim while the robbery was under way.

One shot fired

While the robbery was still in progress, a friend of the victim approached and fired a single shot, Pulido said. The bullet struck the armed suspect once in the chest. The wounded man died at the scene.

The two other robbery suspects ran from the scene. The robbery victim and the friend who fired the shot then left together in a vehicle, police said. Authorities said everyone involved appeared to be in their 20s, and it was not immediately clear whether the two groups knew each other.

Investigation under way

The HPD Homicide Division and the Crime Scene Unit are leading the investigation. Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage from the convenience store and interviewing witnesses to identify everyone involved, police said.

Police have not released the name of the man who died, and no arrests had been announced in the reports published Sunday. Anyone with information is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division or Crime Stoppers of Houston.

Particle News, summarizing the police account, reported the same sequence: three men, one armed suspect who took property from the victim, and one shot fired by the victim's friend. KPRC 2 in Houston also reported the shooting on Sunday, citing the Houston Police Department.

What police are still looking for

Two of the three robbery suspects were still at large in the Sunday reports, and police have not said whether the victim and the man who fired the shot have been identified or questioned. The Crime Scene Unit collected evidence outside the store while homicide detectives worked through the surveillance video, which police expect to show the robbery and the shot. Until that work is done, police say the case file stays open on the two men who ran and on the pair who drove away.