17-year-old not indicted on murder charge stemming from stolen chips in Humble

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 17-year-old charged with murdering a store clerk is a free person after a Harris County grand jury chose not to indict him on Tuesday.

Mario Young was charged in the shooting death of Humble store clerk Asif Maknojia during a dispute that started with a stolen bag of chips.

Young's mother, Precious Ferguson, said the lack of an indictment doesn't mean her son is doing well.

"He's physically and mentally depressed, he's stressed, and he's going to need some counseling," Ferguson said.

The Humble Police Department said on Jan. 19, Maknojia chased after Young and another individual with his car after the chips were stolen.

They were on foot, and court documents say it was Young who shot and killed the clerk.

The other individual was never charged.

Young's attorney said his client acted out of self-defense.

"These young men were not guilty of anything other than trying to protect themselves at a time when they thought something was going to happen to them," Lott Brooks said.

Eyewitness News reached out to the Humble Police Department about the decision not to indict Young, and a spokesman said they presented all of the facts to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

He added that the department respects the process of the criminal justice system that led to the decision.

Young's representatives, including his mother, expressed condolences to Maknojia's family.

ABC13 spoke to Maknojia's brother on the phone, but he said the family didn't want to comment on the grand jury's decision.

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