OT- robbers killed by store owner in Texas

HOUSTON — A jewelry store owner shot and killed three armed men who tried to rob his business, police said.

Two men were in an east Houston jewelry store Thursday afternoon pretending to be customers when a third man burst into the store and stated, "This is a robbery," Houston police spokesman Kese Smith said.

All three men then pulled out pistols, tied up the store owner's wife and took her to a back room, Smith said.

As they were trying to tie up the store owner, the 52-year-old took out a handgun from his waistband and fatally shot one of the suspects, Smith said. The store owner then grabbed a shotgun and shot and killed the two other suspects in the ensuring gunbattle, Smith said.

The Houston Chronicle identified the store owner and his wife as Ramon and Eva Castillo, 48.
The newspaper said Castillo was in critical but stable condition at hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to his left shoulder, left abdomen and legs.

According to the Chronicle, Castillo apparently initially didn't realize he'd been shot until after he untied his wife.



The woman was unharmed, police said.

'Bullet fragments all over the place'
Houston Police homicide investigator M.F. "Fil" Waters told the newspaper it was difficult to estimate how many shots had been fired during the two- or three-minute span.

"We've got bullet fragments all over the place, casings all over the place, shotgun slugs all over the place, so it's really hard to determine at this point how many rounds were actually fired — but quite a few," Waters added.

"It is a pretty incredible story. The man was clearly defending his business, clearly defending his wife," Waters told the newspaper. "It's amazing with all the bullets flying around in there that she wasn't hit."

Police are looking for a fourth suspect who may have been the getaway driver and was last seen driving a brown or gold colored vehicle.

Good for him.
Wouldn't look good for the store owner had that happened in Canada.
He would prob be in jail by now for murder

I'm not sure I heard quite right on the news last night. A store clerk shot somebody in the leg,then the person with the gunshot wound came in and bought beer from him,but I didn't quite catch why he shot him. I thought they said he was standing outside the store when the clerk shot him,then the guy came in and asked him why he did it and bought beer. ?????

Yeah they would, for having carrying a loaded handgun. But the robbers would have had fake dirty needles as a weapon, not guns.

An armed society is a polite society... If these goons has suspected that the owner was locked and cocked, they might have been more inclined to reconsider their actions. Glad it happened in Texas. Up here they would be charging murder...

I still like the story about the Northern VA storeowner that after dispatching the would be murderers/robbers, went outside and killed the getaway driver too. He had sat quietly while there were several shots fired inside, therefore was just as guilty.

Aaron

yep...i hope i dont live long enuff to see "he needed killin" isnt reasonable defense in Texas.

If there was a fourth suspect I bet he dirtied his pants when he heard those shots and his buddies never showed. Hal
PS: The owner should get the key to the city.

Just recently here in political IL, there was a store gettin' robbed, customer shot him dead. The gun the robber had, they are fairly sure, is the one used in a string of robberies.
Hope they don't prosecute the customer that saved the day.

sounds like the robbers got what they had comming to them, i hope the store owner recovers quickly,

We need more people like this here in Detroit Michigan. I work in the city and crime is worse then i could ever type on here.

Aaron, I wish you coulda seen me rollin" on the floor laffin" when I read your post.
Mighta got him in a bit a trouble, but dam, I can"t say I blame him!!

I would hate to think that I lived in a state or a country where I couldn't protect my family or my property. If I did live there I think it would be a darn good excuse to move. Where I live we have the castle doctrine. Let the crooks come on in, they will leave in a body bag.

That store owner should be nominated for "Man of the Year". Someone will probably push to have him arrested for denying the robbers their right to rob and steal. I don't think it'll go anywhere though, especially in Texas.

Glad to hear this, if there was more of this going on, there would be alot less people going thru the courts and tax payers paying for in the pen. Here in our small town I have a couple commercial buildings up town I keep some tractors stored in and have had grafity twice in last couple years and a window broke. The cops have been called all three times and the first time, I was told "they knew the kids that did it but was trying to save them" I also suspect I know the kids he was talking about and asked "how the hell do you save them when mom and grandma lies and said they know there kids did not do that as they were home at that time. and the latest grafity incident a few days ago, the cop asked me do you want to file a report or just make us aware of it. I said I want the little basterds prosecuted and he said well anymore if we do not see them do it, we can not question them based on hearsay!! I was so mad, I got in my pickup and left him setting there. I am thinking to myself, why do we have officers on payroll to drive around from one coffee shop to the other just getting fat. I better close this now before my blood pressure gets any higher.

The only bad thing about the whole story is a innocent businessman was wounded. I hope for his fast recovery. The scum he took out of the population should be displayed on a very busy street in the city for all to observe and spit on. (and to instill fear into anyone else wanting to conduct themselves this way).

Dam, he's GOOD.
Mark

I am not saying it is right, but you can not protect property, only life and limb without going to jail.

you need to read on Texas Law

Anytime someone threatens you with a gun pointed at you then that constitutes the use of deadly force in self defense. The robbers had guns pointed at him so the store owner had a complete right to shoot. This consideration works both ways, you - the law abiding citizen cannot threaten any one with a gun without it being considered the use of deadly force.