Washington identified him as 47-year-old Patrick Hurst, who authorities said was pulled over during a traffic stop on FM-1960 near Ella Boulevard.
A short chase followed before Hurst allegedly got out and fired at Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies. They fired back, killing him.
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During the shootout, gunfire injured a woman getting groceries nearby. Bullets also hit a private school bus, but fortunately, with no children inside.
PREVIOUS STORY: 'Sovereign citizen' gunman killed, bystander hurt in shootout with deputies, HCSO says
What's hard for Washington to believe is that she was on the phone with her brother when all this occurred.
"Don't do it," Washington remembered telling her brother.
She could also see that Hurst was livestreaming everything on Facebook Live.
"What we saw yesterday, I feel like, was a mental breakdown. I don't know what," Washington said.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Hurst was a sovereign citizen who claims that the U.S. government's laws don't apply to them. But Washington disputes that.
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Washington said her brother faced mental health issues over the past few years but claimed he didn't characterize himself as a sovereign citizen to family members. In fact, she did not even know her brother had a weapon until the shooting.
"He was always doing God's work. He was always doing our father's business," Washington said, remembering the happier times of the family growing up. "That's the honest to God's truth. So this was a big shock.
Washington said she's not angry toward the sheriff's office. However, she also wants others to know that her brother's final moments were not how she will remember him.
HCSO said it will have to wait for ballistic testing results to find out whose gunfire hit the innocent shopper and the school bus.
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