Texas Man Is Charged In Killing Of Afghan Refugee Who Fought Alongside Green Berets

A Texas man has been charged pinch execution successful nan sidesplitting of an Afghan begetter who spent years fighting alongside U.S. Green Berets successful Afghanistan.

The suspect, Katia Trevon Bougere, 31, was charged pinch shooting Abdul Rahman Waziri, besides 31, successful a conflict complete parking successful Houston. But Bougere hasn’t been arrested. Instead, he received a summons to look successful tribunal adjacent week, arsenic if it were a postulation violation.

It’s nan latest bizarre move successful a lawsuit that has sparked protests successful Houston and prompted Green Berets to constitute letters to nationalist officials demanding justness for their fallen erstwhile comrade.

Abdul Rahman Waziri.Courtesy Vince Leyva

“This indictment is conscionable nan opening of nan justness nan Waziri family deserves,” said their attorney, Omar Khawaja.

“A hubby and begetter was senselessly killed, and while we are grateful nan expansive assemblage returned a execution charge, it is outrageous that nan man accused of taking his life is being allowed to look by summons — not arrested, not handcuffed, not treated for illustration nan convulsive offender he is alleged to be.”

Asked why prosecutors didn’t rumor an apprehension warrant, a spokeswoman for nan Harris County territory attorney’s agency responded pinch a little statement.

“After a expansive assemblage indicted nan defendant, nan clerk’s agency issued a summons and he’s required to look successful court,” nan connection read.

Efforts to scope Bougere were not successful, and it was not instantly clear if he had hired an attorney.

For 5 years, Waziri served successful an elite portion tasked pinch helping to protect Green Berets successful Afghanistan. He made it to nan U.S. successful 2021 and settled successful Houston pinch his woman and 2 young daughters, only to beryllium gunned down extracurricular his flat complex, Houston constabulary said.

The gunman said to constabulary officers astatine nan segment but was fto spell without being charged, constabulary said. Three months passed pinch nary updates from rule enforcement officials. But connected Monday, a Houston expansive assemblage returned an indictment charging Bougere pinch felony murder, according to a transcript obtained by NBC News.

The charging documents see a “request for summons” that calls connected Bougere to look successful tribunal astatine 9 a.m. adjacent Tuesday, Aug. 5.

“Failure to look will consequence successful a warrant being issued for your arrest,” it states.

David Kwok, an subordinate professor of rule astatine nan University of Houston Law Center, said authorities rule allows for prosecutors to petition a summons alternatively than an apprehension warrant moreover for group accused of execution and different convulsive crimes. But it was unclear to him why nan Harris County territory attorney’s agency would make specified a determination successful this case.

“It surely provokes a batch of questions,” he said.

Eddie Cortes, a seasoned defense lawyer successful Houston who has nary relationship to this case, said it is an different people of action but it typically comes down to whether nan suspect has hired a lawyer who is known to prosecutors.

"They're not going to do this pinch personification who is conscionable Joe Blow disconnected nan street," said Cortes. "But they will if nan feline has counsel, and he's a well-respected longtime defense lawyer present successful town."

Bougere hails from nan Los Angeles area, according to online records, and he competed successful nan precocious jump astatine Lynwood High School.

In 2020, he revenge paperwork successful Texas to motorboat a institution called Black Kartier Militia LLC, according to authorities records. No different accusation was instantly available.

The fatal shooting took spot connected nan evening of April 27. Just earlier 9:10 p.m., Waziri drove into nan parking batch of his flat analyzable and hopped retired of his Toyota Camry, according to surveillance footage provided to NBC News by nan family’s attorney.

A man pulled up successful a car down his vehicle, starring to a confrontation that ended pinch Waziri lying connected nan ground, pinch aggregate gunshot wounds.

The surveillance footage did not seizure nan shooting aliases nan moments beforehand, but nan different man was seen calmly stepping distant afterward.

Waziri was unarmed astatine nan time, according to Khawaja, his family’s lawyer.

Houston police said successful a statement that responding officers were approached astatine nan segment by a man who identified himself arsenic nan shooter and said he and Waziri were “arguing complete parking.” Officers interviewed nan man and took possession of his weapon but past fto him go.

The spokeswoman for nan territory attorney’s agency told NBC News successful May that prosecutors were waiting for further accusation from investigators earlier deciding whether to bring charges.

Abdullah Khan, Waziri’s brother, said that he was “very happy” pinch nan expansive jury’s decision, but that he doesn’t understand why it took truthful agelong for nan fishy to beryllium charged.

“It’s really unusual to me,” Khan said. “Why did they not do this already pinch nan grounds they had?”