A late-night break-in at a North Shepherd pool hall ended with a 70-year-old owner shooting a suspected intruder in the leg early Thursday, after the man allegedly charged him with a crowbar. The encounter unfolded around 2 a.m. at the owner’s business in the 7200 block of North Shepherd. Police say the wounded man later showed up at a nearby Jack in the Box and was taken to a hospital for treatment, while a second suspect reportedly ran off on foot. Responding officers arrived to find no one at the scene.
Police: Owner confronted intruders outside business
Houston Police Department Lt. Wilkens told investigators the owner heard banging at the back of the building, grabbed a gun, and went outside to check. According to police, a lookout working with the alleged intruders warned the group just before a second suspect charged at the owner. The owner fired and hit the man in the leg, and the other person took off running, investigators say. No arrests had been announced and the investigation is still active, according to Click2Houston.
Owner says break-in was targeted
"The intruder started charging at me with a crowbar," the owner told investigators, recounting the moment he decided to pull the trigger. He said he believes the break-in was not random and linked it to a contractor he had recently hired to dismount several televisions inside the business, telling police he suspects that contractor may have tipped off the intruders. The wounded man, whom officers described as believed to be in his 20s, was later found at the nearby Jack in the Box and taken for treatment, per Click2Houston.
Legal context
Under Texas law, a person can use force, and in some situations deadly force, when they reasonably believe it is immediately necessary to protect themselves or to stop certain violent crimes. The law generally presumes that belief to be reasonable when someone unlawfully and with force enters a business. The statutes also typically remove any duty to retreat for people who are lawfully present at a location, language that often shapes how defensive shootings are evaluated by investigators. For the full legal text, see Texas Penal Code §9.31–9.32.
Related violence at small businesses
Violent robberies and break-ins at game rooms and other small businesses have been under scrutiny in Houston this year. In February, a security guard was fatally shot during an armed robbery at an alleged illegal game room in Sharpstown, according to the Houston Chronicle, highlighting the dangers employees and owners can face during overnight thefts.
Houston police say they are continuing to investigate the North Shepherd shooting and are following leads in the case. Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact HPD's Robbery Division or Crime Stoppers.
