Suspect killed while trying to rob food truck on South Main Street in SW Houston, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A robbery suspect is dead after he was shot while trying to hold up a food truck in southwest Houston, police said.

According to the Houston Police Department, the robbery happened at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday in the 14500 block of South Main Street at Fondren.

Derick Howard, an owner of Elite Eats and Cold Treats, was on his way to the food truck to meet his mother, who is a co-owner, and his uncle, who were working the truck during the lunch hour.

Before he arrived, police said the suspect approached the food truck, asking what kind of food they serve. The suspect then tried robbing them, but Howard's mother and uncle quickly closed the window.

The suspect got out of his truck, opened the food truck's front window, and pointed the gun inside. Police said the suspect fired his gun, but it jammed.

"Thank God," Jacqueline Mitchell, a family member, said. "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."

That's when the woman pulled out her own gun and fired multiple times. Howard's mother is licensed to carry a gun, according to the family.

"Nowadays, you have to," Howard said when asked if his mother kept a gun on her out of fear that something similar would happen. "It's bad."

The suspect tried running away but fell and died in the parking lot.

Howard said the truck had only made $40 for the day at the time of the robbery.

"People need to get a job instead of trying to rob people, because some people are trying to make an honest living," Mitchell said.

The woman was taken to the hospital for a panic attack, according to police. No one is charged in the case, as police called it a "self-defense" shooting.

Authorities will collect evidence and present it to the district attorney's office.

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