A Pasadena restaurant turned into a crime scene last Friday night when Heriberto "Eddie" Zamora was fatally shot at Bubba's 33. The suspect, Kenneth Leon Scott Jr., who had known Zamora from past work encounters, apparently lured Zamora to the restaurant under the pretense of having a private discussion. Click2Houston reports that the pair had not spoken in years until Scott began pressing Zamora to meet in the months leading up to the shooting.
At the time of his death, Zamora was out on bond, awaiting trial on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and sexual assault of a child between the ages of 14 and 17, as confirmed by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. According to his defense attorney Mark Morasch, in a statement obtained by Click2Houston, Zamora had considered taking a polygraph test as part of his defense strategy, and the attorney had just ended a call with him before the fatal encounter.
Surveillance footage from the restaurant showed the violent chase that ended in gunfire, reportedly executed at close range by Scott, who also placed quarters over Zamora's eyes—a detail unearthed during the investigation. As reported by Click2Houston, eyewitness accounts from a retired Pasadena police officer helped piece together the chilling moments that transpired, leading to Scott fleeing the scene. He was subsequently arrested in Fayette County.
Zamora's widow and others now believe Zamora was specifically targeted, a theory that Morasch is beginning to share. "Originally someone voiced that concern, and I just laughed it off. And I was thinking it can't be. Now it's very suspicious," Morasch told ABC13. While Scott remains in custody, on charges of murder and aggravated assault, the connections between Zamora's pending criminal charges, his recent push to meet with his old acquaintance, and the tragic outcome are being closely scrutinized by authorities. The incident, which also injured a restaurant employee with a stray bullet, caused frightened customers to hide in a freezer during the chaos. While the motive behind the shooting remains unconfirmed by the police, the ongoing investigation now includes Zamora's familial disputes and other aspects of his personal life.
