N. Houston gas station assault suspect charged after armed husband and wife fight back

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man was shot by a nine-month pregnant woman and her husband after surveillance video shows him attacking the couple in front of a north Houston gas station Tuesday evening.

"No, they were not taking out my baby daddy before July 11," the woman said, referring to her due date.

The shooting happened at about 5:25 p.m. Tuesday at 8605 Fulton Street.

The couple asked ABC13 to conceal their identities, fearing retaliation. The woman said she parked in front of the All Season Food Store on Fulton Road, near Berry, to deliver food for her husband, who works at the store. Two armed men were inside a silver SUV parked nearby.

"I got out of my car, and immediately, the guy in the passenger seat of the silver car got out with an AR and told me that I startled him. You know, he said it in a more vocal way," the woman said.

The woman called her husband, who came outside. The man with a rifle got into the driver's seat of a green Dodge Challenger, parked next to the SUV. There were multiple women inside the vehicle. However, the driver of the SUV started trying to pick a problem.

The husband said the man, who police have since identified as 39-year-old Mario Duque, repeatedly asked him, "Do you want to die tonight?" Surveillance video shows the couple ignoring Duque, who pointed a gun at them multiple times.

The video also shows Duque approaching the husband and pistol-whipping him. The wife pulled a gun out of her bag and shot Duque, who continued pointing his weapon at the couple. The husband also shot him.

"Thank God we had our guns. I've never been happier to be a gun carrier," the woman said.

The couple held Duque at gunpoint until medical attention arrived.

"A bystander told him, 'Hey man, if you think you're dying, you might as well pray to God for forgiveness,'" the husband said.

Duque, a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms, remained hospitalized Wednesday. He is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

HPD said a second suspect was also involved but remains on the loose.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video to get a better idea of what happened and who they are looking for.

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