Houston: Convenience store robbery-murder

[seamusTX]

At Beechnut and Hillcroft in Houston (Meyerland) around 6:20 p.m. Friday robbers burst into a gas station-convenience store, robbed, shot, and killed a customer, and robbed the store. The criminals escaped.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 62224.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Note on the surveillance video how fast it goes down.

This is not the best neighborhood in Houston, and it is near one of the worst.

- Jim

[Beiruty]

was the clerk behind bullet proof glass? I wish the original videos are of higher quality. the one shown almost useless.

[seamusTX]

Probably it was a sheet of polycarbonate to stop people from grabbing lottery tickets and other items from behind the counter.

It would not have mattered, as the robber came around the side where there was no barrier.

- Jim

[RPB]

Purple ski mask has some interesting white boots or white shoes and knee socks, flats, pointy toes, not high heel boots, if boots.
Matching white gloves at 7:50:30 in video (Thin wrists?)
That's about all I noticed. ... Truck is already described in story's text.

Shame that area has gone downhill, I grew up near there way before the crowds arrived. Back when you could find horned toads and crawdads out there near the ditches which are now below the streets. When I grew up there we didn't need locks on the windows; often slept with them open so the attic fan could draw air through the house. (Before we finally got an air conditioner)........ sad.

[Oldgringo]

Purple ski mask has some interesting white boots or white shoes and knee socks, flats, pointy toes, not high heel boots, if boots.
Possibly matching white gloves?
That's about all I noticed. ... Truck is already described in story's text.

Again, ethnicity of robber/murderers is not mentioned in the article? So, they're not looking for anybody in particular?

[RPB]

just noticed what looks like fog/driving lights (not on) in lower portion of front brush guard. 7:49:25 in video
Can't really tell if the lowers/steps are chrome pipes or not.

[seamusTX]

Again, ethnicity of robber/murderers is not mentioned in the article?

I could not see one square millimeter of skin in that video. Even if the clerk could see something like eyelids, he may have been too shocked to take notice.

As for the vehicle, it if was not stolen, the robbers were more stupid than they appeared to be.

- Jim

[Oldgringo]

Again, ethnicity of robber/murderers is not mentioned in the article?

I could not see one square millimeter of skin in that video. Even if the clerk could see something like eyelids, he may have been too shocked to take notice.

As for the vehicle, it if was not stolen, the robbers were more stupid than they appeared to be.

- Jim

We weren't there, thank Goodness. The video is grainy and of poor quality with no sound. I suspect there were words used in the robbery? Granted the ethnicity of the murderers would not identify them but it would identify who wasn't being sought.

Somebody knows...

[seamusTX]

When surveillance video clearly shows the face of the "suspect," there is a chance that some acquaintance (including cops and jailers) will recognize it.

Otherwise, in a city the size of Houston, if they say they are looking for three black men, three white men, or three Hispanic men, that narrows it down to about half a million each. Even if the robbers were three Asian women, there would still be several hundred thousand suspects.

I've said this before: race is not a simple matter of black and white. There are many mixed-race people who cannot be categorically identified by race.

viewtopic.php?f=83&t=22629&start=15#p293393" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[Oldgringo]

When surveillance video clearly shows the face of the "suspect," there is a chance that some acquaintance (including cops and jailers) will recognize it.

Otherwise, in a city the size of Houston, if they say they are looking for three black men, three white men, or three Hispanic men, that narrows it down to about half a million each. Even if the robbers were three Asian women, there would still be several hundred thousand suspects.

I've said this before: race is not a simple matter of black and white. There are many mixed-race people who cannot be categorically identified by race.

viewtopic.php?f=83&t=22629&start=15#p293393" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

Surely, you are not suggesting that the gangsters could be any three of the 4,000,000 residents of the nation's 4th largest city?

If there is no visible indication of their ethnicity (I didn't say race), there were certainly sounds made, orders given, expressions used, dialects, etc., that would provide some indication of...whatever.

I'm glad I don't have to be out at night in Houston or its environs.

[seamusTX]

Most people can disguise their voice to some extent. I've heard any number of black men switch between "jive" and standard English, and young white men often imitate hip-hop. I can speak Midwestern or Southern at will.

What I 'm trying to get at is that a vague or unreliable clue is worse than no clue. It can lead to the wrong suspect being arrested or the real suspect being given a pass. At trial it can cloud the case, resulting in a not-guilty verdict or hung jury.

These guys are not going to get caught because someone happened to recognize them. If they are caught, it will be because they ran their mouths. Likely they will never be charged with this crime, though they may be caught another time or shot by a defender.

- Jim

[Oldgringo]

Most people can disguise their voice to some extent. I've heard any number of black men switch between "jive" and standard English, and young white men often imitate hip-hop. I can speak Midwestern or Southern at will.

What I 'm trying to get at is that a vague or unreliable clue is worse than no clue. It can lead to the wrong suspect being arrested or the real suspect being given a pass. At trial it can cloud the case, resulting in a not-guilty verdict or hung jury.

These guys are not going to get caught because someone happened to recognize them. If they are caught, it will be because they ran their mouths. Likely they will never be charged with this crime, though they may be caught another time or shot by a defender.

- Jim

Okay.

[duckhead]

What good are parking lot security cameras that don't show license plates?

These guys are not going to get caught because someone happened to recognize them. If they are caught, it will be because they ran their mouths. Likely they will never be charged with this crime, though they may be caught another time or shot by a defender.

Many criminals are caught and/or convicted because they couldn't keep their mouths shut. The happy ending is if they are shot and killed by a defender, because if the police catch them they'll be back on the street in a few years. Maybe sooner.

[seamusTX]

What good are parking lot security cameras that don't show license plates?

If the license plates or entire vehicle weren't stolen, the criminals are total idiots.

This video looked like it was from one of the older VCR systems that had few cameras (expensive at the time) and lousy resolution, not to forget taking about one frame per second.

- Jim

[duckhead]

the criminals are total idiots

More commonly than not.