Houston, Texas – A gun store employee was charged with murder Saturday after killing a suspected shoplifter with a criminal record, concluding a more than a year-long investigation by Houston authorities.
As ABC 13 News Houston reported, police say Mark Winger shot and killed Terry Evans Jr., who was accused of shoplifting from Carter’s Country store on South Wilcrest. The incident occurred on June 2022.
The network exclusively captured surveillance footage of the occurrence which will enable viewers to draw their own conclusions.
In the footage, Evans can be seen walking into the store. He then goes up to the cash register and appears to grab money from it before heading towards the door.
A female employee then races toward him before Winger follows. He shoots at Evans while the accused shoplifter tries to vacate the premises.
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Evans runs out the door and is shot. ABC 13 Houston reports a bullet went through his back and exited, hitting the store’s glass door.
The footage concludes with another employee gesturing to Winger to go back inside the store.
ABC 13 News notes, firefighters found Evans in a parking lot where he later died from his injuries at a hospital.
CW 39 Houston reported that Evans previously tried to steal clothes from another establishment before he was driven away by employees. He then walked next door to the gun shop.
Jason Gibson, an attorney for the Evans family, claimed that the shooting did not qualify as self-dense under Texas law.
In Texas, you’re only justified in using deadly force if you feel like you’re in fear of imminent death or serious bodily injury.
Winger, however, says that Evans had a sharp object and feared for his life.
Evans’s family admitted to ABC 13 Houston that their son had a criminal record and a history of mental health issues. Nonetheless, they relayed their heartbreak over having to bury him.
“I can’t describe the pain of losing a son,” Terry Evans Sr., said while crying. “I say to myself, I would have taken the bullet because the pain is unbearable.”
Winger was arrested and charged with murdering Evans, Jr. He has since posted a $30,000 bond.
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