Houston police said a 23-year-old man was shot and killed when he tried to rob a food truck on South Main on Tuesday afternoon.
HOUSTON — Investigators said a 23-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday when he tried to rob a food truck in southwest Houston.
According to the Houston Police Department, it happened in a parking lot off South Main Street just inside Beltway 8. HPD tweeted about the shooting just after 2 p.m.
What happened?
Keshondra Howard Turner’s family owns the truck, which has been operating in the parking lot off South Main at Fondren for about three years. Turner, 53, is the cook behind the counter of the soul food truck. She and her family started Elite Eats in 2020.
“Ox tail, and we’ve got good hamburgers, pork chops, wings. People come from all over to eat here,” family member Jacqueline Mitchell said.
According to HPD Lt. Bryan Bui, a man pulled up to the food truck Tuesday around 1 p.m. and asked what they served. When Turner showed him, the man pulled out a gun and got out of his truck, Bui said.
She was able to close the window, but the man opened it back up and put his arm inside the food truck while pointing the gun at her. That’s when, according to Bui, the suspect tried to shoot but his gun jammed.
Turner then shot the man several times, police said. He collapsed about 50 feet away from the truck, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
HPD investigators said nothing was taken from the food truck and they’re checking the area for surveillance video. Bui said the robber didn’t fire a shot. Investigators also said that Turner is licensed to carry.
The Aftermath
Turner’s son said she would never have wanted to use her gun, but she didn’t have a choice.
“My momma is a great person, you know? Good-hearted, looking out for everybody. She’d give the shirt off her back,” Derick Howard said.
In the three years that their food truck has been open in the parking lot, the family said they’ve never had a problem. But the grandmother was cooking in her food truck Tuesday when her worst fear came true.
“I hope she’s alright because I know right now she’s going crazy because that’s not even (like) her,” her son said.
HPD officials said Turner had a panic attack after the shooting. She was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Now, her loved ones are hoping she will return to the family-run business. They’re also thankful that she’s alive.
“She’s a Godly woman, that’s why the gun jammed because God jammed it,” Howard said.
