Food truck worker shoots and kills armed robber, Texas police say

An armed man tried to rob a Texas food truck before he was shot and killed, according to local news reports.

Derick Howard, a co-owner of Elite Eats and Cold Treats, told KTRK his mother, also a co-owner, and his uncle were working the food truck at the time of the attempted robbery.

He was on his way to the food truck, when at about 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, someone tried to rob the family business, KTRK reported.

A man pulled up in his truck and asked the employees what kind of food they sell, Houston Police Lt. Bryan Bui said in a news conference recorded by KHOU.

The man then pulled out his gun, prompting the brother inside of the food truck to close the window, Bui said.

Police said the man got out of his vehicle, opened the window and pointed his gun inside the food truck.

He tried to fire his gun, KPRC reported, but it jammed.

“Thank God,” family member Jacqueline Mitchell told KTRK. “She’s a godly woman. That’s why the gun jammed because God jammed it because when (suspect) opened that window, he could have shot her, but it jammed.”

The 53-year-old woman used her own gun to shoot at the man several times, killing him, KHOU reported.

Officers were called to the shooting at about 1 p.m., according to a tweet from the Houston Police Department.

They found the man, believed to be in his early 20s, about 40 yards away, KPRC reported.

The woman was taken to a hospital after having a panic attack, KTRK reported. Authorities are investigating the case as a “self-defense” shooting.

This story was originally published March 29, 2023 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Food truck worker shoots and kills armed robber, Texas police say."