Texas Man Charged With Killing Afghan Father: What To Know

Newsweek

5 days ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Newsweek has exclusively obtained, through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the official charge sheet for Katia Trevon Bougere, a 31-year-old Texas man indicted on a murder charge in the April shooting of Abdul Rahman Waziri in Houston.
Waziri—a refugee who fled to the United States in 2021 after serving in an elite Afghan military unit trained to detect hidden explosives and assigned to protect U.S. Green Berets—was fatally shot after a confrontation.
According to the indictment issued by a Harris County grand jury, Bougere—born November 14, 1993, and originally from California—faces a felony murder charge as prosecutors pursue the case.
Why It Matters
Rather than being arrested on the felony murder charge, Bougere was allowed to remain free after receiving only a summons to appear in court—a move that has provoked outrage from Waziri's grieving family, their lawyers and parts of the community.
Waziri's death has prompted public protests in Houston and letters from former U.S. military personnel who served with him, calling for justice, and raises a number of legal and ethical questions.
Abdul Rahman Waziri was part of an elite Afghan military unit trained to detect hidden explosives and assigned to protect U.S. Green Berets.
Abdul Rahman Waziri was part of an elite Afghan military unit trained to detect hidden explosives and assigned to protect U.S. Green Berets.
Waziri Family
What To Know
The fatal shooting occurred around 9:08 p.m. April 27 outside an apartment complex on Ocee Street in Houston.
According to police and surveillance footage reviewed by Newsweek, the shooting followed a brief confrontation between the two men over a parking spot.
Video time-stamps show Waziri arriving at 9:06:28 p.m. in his white Toyota Camry. He parked, switched on his hazard lights and briefly stepped out to collect his mail. Just 22 seconds later, at 9:06:50 p.m., a black Kia sedan pulled in. Its driver, later identified by police as Bougere, exited the vehicle and confronted Waziri. The two men exchanged gestures before Waziri returned to his mailbox, while Bougere moved toward Waziri's parked car.
Due to a camera obstruction, the footage does not capture the moments immediately preceding the shooting. According to Houston police, Waziri returned to his vehicle intending to leave when Bougere retrieved a gun from his own car and opened fire, striking Waziri multiple times. Surveillance video then shows Bougere calmly walking away from the scene.
Waziri, married with two young daughters, was later pronounced dead at Ben Taub General Hospital.
When law enforcement arrived, police said, a man identified himself to responding officers as the shooter, telling them the altercation began over a parking dispute. Police confiscated his firearm, interviewed him, and—on the advice of the Harris County District Attorney's Office—released him without a charge.
"That's the unfortunate circumstance here," according to family attorney Omar Khawaja, who says Waziri was unarmed: "If you shoot and kill somebody and you report it and claim self-defense, then now, somehow there's a little bit of credibility given to your statement.
"A husband and father was senselessly killed, and while we are grateful the grand jury returned a murder charge, it is outrageous that the man accused of taking his life is being allowed to appear by summons—not arrested, not handcuffed, not treated like the violent offender he is alleged to be," Khawaja said, according to nbc.news.com, adding, "This indictment is just the beginning of the justice the Waziri family deserves."
Abdullah Waziri, Abdul's older brother, discussed returning to the scene: "Actually I don't like this area [pointing to the ground] ... in this crack, the bloods were here, and I asked the neighbor to get us a bucket and a brush, and I dumped water, and they were helping me with the cleaning the blood," nbcnews.com reported.
Newsweek exclusively obtained the official charge sheet for Bougere, dated July 27, which states: "In the name and by the authority of the State of Texas: the duly organized Grand Jury of Harris County, Texas, presents in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, that in Harris County, Texas, Katia Trevon Bougere, hereafter styled the Defendant, heretofore on or about April 27, 2025, did then and there unlawfully intentionally and knowingly cause the death of Abdul Waziri, hereinafter called the Complainant, by Shooting The Complainant With A Deadly Weapon, Namely, A Firearm."
In Texas, when courts determine whether bail is "sufficient and non-oppressive," they must follow guidelines set out in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (Article 17.15), setting an amount that:
Is high enough to ensure court appearance and public safety,
But not excessively high to be considered unconstitutional or punitive.
On July 31, a bail bond for Bougere was requested, and granted, at $100,000.
What People Are Saying
Khawaja, in an exclusive interview with Newsweek on July 31, said: "Had he [Bougere] just waited 30 seconds, Mr. Waziri would have gotten his mail and moved on. Instead, an enraged man with a firearm decided otherwise.
"Texas has developed an irrational sensitivity toward so-called Second Amendment rights. We now see regular shootings—road rage, parking disputes—it feels like the Wild West. People are drawing guns instead of resolving conflicts peacefully. Is that really the society we want, one where we tolerate dueling in the streets?
"From what I understand from some of the residents that we interviewed ... this guy, Bougere, was living at these apartments ... and with the shooter continuing to live in the same complex, created a chilling effect. But the lack of an immediate arrest has terrified witnesses. Multiple eyewitnesses saw what happened, but many are just too scared to speak. We're urging them to come forward so justice can be served. We just want this family to get some justice."
Ben Hoffman, a 20-year veteran with the Green Berets who served six tours in Afghanistan and who met with Waziri in 2019, told the media: "It makes me extremely upset ... after everything he went through and everything he risked, for him to be shot dead in front of his apartment over what seems like some dumb argument, and then for there to be ... very little response from the local authorities ... it breaks my heart," nbcnews.com reported.
What Happens Next
The legal office of Khawaja is standing by the Waziri family, ensuring they understand the legal process and get the support they need.
Subsequent to the shooting, Bougere was evicted from the complex and has moved to an apartment 2.1 miles away. He is under bail conditions that ban him from leaving his home and include GPS monitoring.
His next court date is set for 9 a.m. August 5.