Man out on a date in East Downtown shoots and kills man, then returns to date, says attorney
Court records say Erick Aguirre was on probation in South Texas for aggravated assault when Elliot Nix was shot and killed.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A suspect accused of killing a man in Houston's East End earlier this month allegedly chased him down and shot him after he was told the victim was a fake parking lot attendant, according to court records.
Erick Aguirre, 29, is charged with murder in the shooting death of 46-year-old Elliot Nix. Aguirre was arrested in Aransas County, Texas, and extradited back to Harris County on April 25.
Court records say he was on probation in South Texas near Corpus Christi for aggravated assault at the time of the shooting. Police said Crime Stoppers tips helped investigators identify him.
In a court appearance on Thursday, Aguirre's bond was set at $200,000.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Man shot and killed while riding bike on Chartres Street in East Downtown, Houston police say
On April 11, officers responded to a shooting in the 1300 block of Chartres Street just before 8 p.m. At the scene, officers found Nix unresponsive with a gunshot wound.
Nix was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to court records, a woman seen in surveillance photos with Aguirre reached out to Houston police via her attorney after she saw she was a person of interest in the case.
SEE ALSO: HPD seeks 2 persons of interest after man on bike fatally shot during argument in East Downtown
In an interview with police, the woman said she was in Houston to spend time with Aguirre because they were dating. They were going out to eat at Rodeo Goat.
She said she parked her car in the lot across the street and Aguirre parked his white Cadillac nearby in the same lot. That's when she told police they were approached by a man who claimed to be a parking attendant.
The woman said the man told Aguirre it would be $20 per car to park, but if they brought out their receipt after eating, they would get their money back, records say.
She said Aguirre then walked to a corner store nearby to get cash, came back to the lot, and paid the man.
When the couple walked into the restaurant, the woman said an employee told them the man is a known scammer and doesn't actually work for the parking lot, court records said.
That's when Aguirre sprinted back to his Cadillac while the woman stayed on the other side of the street. She told police she didn't see what he was doing or hear anything.
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Meanwhile, court records say another witness told police he saw Aguirre pay a "known parking scammer."
The witness said he saw Aguirre run out of Rodeo Goat and back to his Cadillac, where he retrieved a pistol. He said Aguirre ran out of his view, but he heard one gunshot, records say.
The witness then told police he saw Aguirre walk back to his car nonchalantly and put the gun away before walking back to the restaurant and meeting back up with his date.
Court records say the woman told police Aguirre started to look uncomfortable after they went back into Rodeo Goat and suggested they eat somewhere else. That's when they left and went to another location to eat.
The woman reportedly provided photos of the suspect from that evening, and his clothing matched the surveillance photos from the restaurant.
After talking to police, the woman seen in the surveillance photos was released and no charges were filed.
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