A 17-year-old has been charged with the murder of a gas station employee after a fatal shooting sparked by a purported shoplifting incident in Humble. The suspect, Mario Young, was nabbed after a manhunt and charged with taking the life of 42-year-old Asif Maknojia, according to the Houston Chronicle. Young, a Humble ISD high school student with a clean slate up until now, surrendered to authorities last Sunday and is currently held on a $100,000 bond.
The confrontation turned deadly occurred on January 19 at a Sunoco station off I-59. Surveillance footage captured Young and another teenager entering the store followed by the apparent theft of a bag of chips and their exit moments later, FOX 26 Houston reported. Maknojia, seen wearing a red jacket, confronted the teens outside before following them in his car. Shots were fired and the clerk was found fatally wounded inside his vehicle soon after.
Community activist Quanell X facilitated the surrender of Young, who, alongside his accomplice, turned themselves in at the Houston Police Department. Quanell shared that Young believes the shooting was in self-defense. "They did say to me that they believe, in their mind, it was self-defense. They believe the store clerk had a gun, and he pulled his gun first," Quanell told FOX 26 Houston. Despite this claim, Young reportedly has not provided details to detectives, while the other teen involved was questioned and released without charges.
