Texas gunman who allegedly shot Afghan refugee hit with murder charges
Katia Bougere, 31, is accused of murdering Abdul Rahman Waziri, who fled Taliban-controlled Afghanistan after working alongside American troops, on April 27 as he pulled his car over in the parking lot of his west Houston apartment complex to check his mail.
Bougere admitted to cops at the scene that 'he was the shooter,' but said that he was threatened at the time, Houston police said.
3 Surveillance video still image of a man walking in a parking lot at night after the shooting.
Obtained by the NY Post
The alleged killer initially claimed self-defense as he sauntered away from the scene, Waziri's brother Abdullah Khan previously told The Post.
The officers seized Bougere's firearm and handcuffed him before turning him loose, according to footage taken by KPRC.
Despite the evidence that included surveillance video, the Harris County District Attorney's Office initially declined to press charges — and cops let Bougere go.
At the time, a spokesperson for the DA's office said it was 'still waiting on additional information from investigators before making a charging decision.'
Bougere was indicted by a grand jury this week, according to court documents.
Khan welcomed the news that his brother's alleged killer has 'finally' been charged, but expressed outrage over the three-month delay.
'They didn't look to all this evidence, and they just let the person walk free for months and months,' he said Wednesday.
Khan recalled seeing the alleged dreadlocked killer coldly walk past him while he was cleaning up his brother's blood the day after the shooting.
The suspected killer opened fire after disputing with Waziri over a parking spot at the apartment complex where they both lived.
3 Abdul Rahman Waziri, 31, fled Taliban-controlled Afghanistan after working alongside American troops.
Courtesy Vince Leyva
The alleged gunman became angry after pulling behind Waziri's car as he stopped to get his mail, according to the family's account of the surveillance video.
Witnesses also saw Bougere vandalizing Waziri's car before the fight broke out, the victim's family lawyer, Omar Khawaja, previously said.
The suspected killer's feet could be seen running toward Waziri — before he pulled out a gun and fatally shot the Afghan man several times, according to Waziri's family.
The surveillance footage, however, didn't capture the shooting itself because the view was obscured by a carport.
The gunman could be seen walking away after the shooting — before returning on the phone, according to the victim's family.
When cops arrived at the scene, they found Waziri's bullet-riddled body beside his white Toyota Camry.
'We came here to be safe, but here is also ridiculous. Someone could come and kill you just for not moving your car,' Khan previously said.
3 Waziri seen using a metal detector to search for IEDs while serving alongside US troops.
Courtesy Vince Leyva
And the men who stood behind Waziri in the military expressed their anger.
Green Beret Ben Hoffman told The Post, 'Abdul Rahman was literally willing to lay down his life for us — for us, for Americans.'
'He was a lion. He was a warrior. He was a hero,' said Hoffman, describing Waziri as a 'peacemaker.'
Retired Special Forces Green Beret Chris Wells helped petition the US government to grant Waziri a special visa for assisting US troops, but 'to have him come here and get shot to death over a parking spot' was 'completely disheartening,' he said.
The accused killer is set to appear in court on Aug. 5.
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