Deputies: Man left for dead in north Harris Co. shopping center after robbery

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A bloody body was found in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 4600 block of FM 1960 Thursday morning.

Police have identified the man as 35-year-old Mario Bahamondes. Family members say Bahamondes left his nearby home around 5:00 a.m. and was headed to catch a METRO bus to work.

Bahamondes' cell phone and a fired shell casing were found feet from his body. Investigators believe he was killed during a robbery.

Eyewitnesses described the scene where his body was left as grisly. Billy Maxwell, who works at a nearby comic book store, said the body sat for hours untouched just yards from their front door. Deputy patrol cars and a morgue's van surrounded the body in hopes of shielding the public.

The effort did not work.

"This looked like this man suffered a little bit before he went. I can't say if he was shot or stabbed, but whatever happened, it produced some serious damage," said Maxwell. "He was very bloody. His shirt was pretty much crimson red."

Phillip Cabrera also works at the comic book store. He expressed concern about the community's safety.

"How safe are we really in this strip center?" asked Cabrera. "We have a security guard that should be here during the day patrolling. I guess he wasn't there at that time."

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-8477. There are cash rewards for information leading to an arrest in the case.