Houston mechanic and father-of-two shot dead before Christmas in argument over $500 bill
“They did catch up to him, and they shot him in the head. [Point] blank. They put him on his knees, and they shot him in the head”
A Houston mechanic with two children was shot and killed during an argument over a $500 repair bill.
Luis Manuel Casillas, 29, was ambushed, chased, and killed in a shooting similar to an execution two days before Christmas on Friday afternoon, his family has said.
The Texas mechanic’s sister, Sandy Casillas, told ABC13 that witnesses said her brother had argued with a client after repairing a truck.
The customer hasn’t been identified. They returned to the body shop with five men, refusing to pay the $500 bill.
Mr Casillas is reported to have told the client to take his truck and go. Instead, the confrontation became violent.
“My brother started running,” Ms Casillas told ABC13. “He ran through all the side businesses he could run through. They did catch up to him, and they shot him in the head. [Point] blank. They put him on his knees, and they shot him in the head.”
KHOU11 reported that Mr Casillas told the men that “I have a family, just take whatever you want,” but that they killed him anyway.
His family said that he was planning on using the $500 to complete his Christmas shopping.
“Santa was coming with Daddy, but Santa showed up, but Daddy didn’t,” Ms Casillas said, according to KHOU11. “We don’t have a holiday no more – we don’t know what the holidays are no more.”
Relatives went to the scene of the crime on Christmas Day, demanding that the killers be held accountable.
“I’ll be damned if I let this case go cold,” Ms Casillas said. “My brother will get his justice.”
The authorities told KHOU11 that the matter is under investigation and that they’re looking for security footage of the shooting.
While no suspects have been publically named, the family said they think they know who’s responsible and have made police aware.
“He was a father, a son, a brother, an uncle,” Ms Casillas told KHOU11. “He didn’t deserve this.”
The mechanic’s brother, Jose Casillas, told the outlet that “it’s been three of the longest days”.
He told ABC13 that he had been speaking to Mr Casillas about the customer the day before his brother’s death, adding that he had seen screenshots of the conversations between the customer and the mechanic.
“After that, I just received a call that my brother has been shot,” the brother said. “I didn’t believe it at first.”
Ms Casillas added: “You don’t do that to any human beings. You don’t do that to animals. How do you do that to my brother? What they did is not fair and if you’re the mother of those six individuals, at least be a good enough mother to turn your child in.”