HOUSTON — After shooting and killing a robber in what she called self-defense earlier in the week, a family reopened their food truck on Friday.
The family said it was the only option they considered but it was difficult.
"I feel real bad. I'm not sleeping," the grandmother who shot the robber said.
The family is known for their superb cooking at Elite Eats.
"This is how we make our living and we're not trying to hurt anyone or do anything to anyone, we just want to run our business," Jacqueline Mitchell said.
When the family started the soul food truck in 2020, the 53-year-old grandmother never thought she'd have to use her gun, but on Tuesday, she did.
"I didn't want that to happen, but he tried to hurt me," she said.
Houston police said she shot and killed a 23-year-old man who pulled a gun on her. The family said they had just opened that day and only had $40 in cash at the time. They've operated out of the parking lot at Fondren and South Main for about three years.
"I also want people to think about his family as well, because I don't think I'm no hero, you know what I'm saying? I want to pray for his family as well as my family," she said.
She's usually the one doing the cooking, but on Tuesday, other family members stepped in to give her time to heal.
What happened
According to HPD Lt. Bryan Bui, a man pulled up to the food truck Tuesday around 1 p.m. and asked what they served. When the grandmother showed him, the man pulled out a gun and got out of his truck, Bui said.
She was able to close the window, but the man opened it back up and put his arm inside the food truck while pointing the gun at her. That's when, according to Bui, the suspect tried to shoot but his gun jammed.
The grandmother then shot the man several times, police said. He collapsed about 50 feet away from the truck, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.