Families of suspects in Jack-in-the-Box shootout question nearly 45 shots fired
HOUSTON -- Shattered glass and dozens of markers surrounded the Jack-in-the-Box restaurant earlier this week.
Now, the families of those involved are facing the aftermath.
Angela Wilson, mother of a teen suspect killed, talked about the shooting.
"I just wish my child would have had a chance, arrest them, put them in jail and let them think about the consequences instead of me having to bury my child," Wilson said.
Sheriff's deputies said the teens involved were wanted for about 10 aggravated robberies in the area, including two at nearby gas stations where an employee described the terrifying experience.
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A joint task force had been watching them when the car pulled in to the restaurant around 9:40 Monday night at Highway 6 and FM 529. The young men were seen running towards the restaurant in bandanas and hoodies.
Two are accused of pulling guns and demanding money.
Sheriff's deputies said the suspects were ordered to drop their weapons and surrender, but they fired at them and a gun battle started. The shootout ended with the death of a 16-year-old. Another teen was injured, two were not hurt and appeared in court.
They are charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.
"Young man is dead, my son is in the hospital, and two more facing whatever charges. All this could have been prevented if they would have just stood up and got the guys in the lot and pulled them over," the father of one of the injured teens said.
Relatives and community activists claim some witnesses said the suspects never fired at police.
"They never shot. They had been surveillancing them, why not pull them over. Why come to this point," Quanell X said.
The families said they don't condone the behavior, but they have questions they want answered.
"To other young men thinking about something like this, let this be an example of why you should never do something like this," added Quanell X.
About 45 shots fired during Jack-in-the-Box robbery-shootout; suspect, 16, killed
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, two of the men were armed with guns and went inside the restaurant to demand money from the cash registers. The employees gave them the money and the suspects took off.
Task force members of the Houston Police Department and DPS were waiting for the suspects at the front of the building. They ordered them to stop and surrender but instead, the suspects shot at them.
"We heard about 40 or 45 shots go off over here," witness William Fincham said.
Two suspects have been identified as 17-year-old Xavier Cox and 18-year-old Javalon Robinson. Cox was taken to Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in non-life threatening condition. Robinson was arrested and not injured.
A 16-year-old male was pronounced dead at North Cypress Medical Center and a 15-year-old male was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in downtown in critical but stable condition.
Houston police said seven officers discharged their weapons, including three HPD officers and four DPS troopers. No officers were injured.
The Harris County Sheriff's Department believes the same group is responsible for the robbery of a Shell gas station in the 10000 block of Fry Road on Sunday night. A few hours later, they believe the group then robbed a Stripes convenience store at the 8000 block of Fry Road.
Stripes store employees report seeing the same white Mustang at their store as the one involved in the Jack-in-the-Box shootout.
"At that time, right after it happened, I was concerned they wouldn't be caught, because they were wearing (black) masks, we couldn't identify them," said a Stripes employee who was on duty early Monday morning.
She says the robbers pointed a gun to her side, forcing her to hand them cash out of the cash register.
The woman was relieved to hear that the group of young men suspected of robbing the stores have been captured, even offering a few words of sympathy to the young man who was killed during the shootout with police.
"Really sad, I feel sorry for their family. They made some bad choices, but you know, at that age, they should have known right from wrong."
