“What I understand was, they were trying to take his wife. So what he did was defend his family, and the guys got what they deserved.” So spoke customer Theresa Arellano to Fox 26 in Houston about Thursday’s attempted robbery at the jewelry store owned for 22 years by Ramon Castillo, 52, and his wife Eva, 48.
Castillo Jewelers is located in the 4500 block of Canal Street in East Houston. Around 2:00 p.m. on December 16, two of the would-be robbers entered the store and posed as customers needing service.
A third then came in with a pistol and declared, “This is a robbery.”
At that point the other two suspects also pulled guns. The intruders then forced the Castillos into the store’s office area.
Ramon Castillo was told to put his hands behind his back while the suspects began to tie up his wife. It was then that Castillo was able to pull a pistol from his back waistband and fatally shoot one of the suspects.
The other two robbers then began shooting at Castillo, who returned fire as he reached for a shotgun that was kept in the store and shot the other two suspects dead.
Eva Castillo was miraculously unhurt. Her husband did not realize he was wounded until after untying her.
Ramon Castillo remains in Houston’s Memorial Hermann Hospital with shoulder, stomach, and leg wounds. He is listed in critical but stable condition and is expected to survive. MSNBC reported that Houston Police homicide investigator M.F. “Fil” Waters reported that it was difficult to know how many shots were exchanged during the two- or three-minute shootout:
We’ve got bullet fragments all over the place, casings all over the place, shotgun slugs all over the place, so it’s really hard to determine at this point how many rounds were actually fired — but quite a few.
On Friday afternoon the Houston Chronicle reported that, “Authorities identified two of the dead suspects as 21-year-old Nelson Wilfredo Tambora-Ramiro and 38-year-old Onilton Bolanos Castillano. The identity of the third dead suspect is pending.” The intruders are thought to possibly be Honduran nationals. Investigations are still underway as to their backgrounds and any previous criminal records.
Several comments supportive of Ramon and Eva Castillo were reported by KHOU TV:
“You have a store owner who protected his wife and protected himself,” said Houston Police Department spokesperson Kese Smith. “Who knows what they were going to do after this? They are very fortunate.”
“It is an incredible story — a man clearly defending his business, clearly defending his wife and himself,” HPD Detective Fil Waters said.
Neighbors called Ramon Castillo a hero. They said their area is overrun with criminals, and Thursday’s robbery wasn’t the first time Ramon Castillo’s business has been targeted.
“It’s about time he did something about it,” neighbor Theresa Arellano said.
“He was waiting for them this time. They didn’t get away. What can I say? I feel bad for the families, but when you play rough there are bad things that can happen,” another neighbor said.
Yet another neighbor, who would not provide a name, said the suspects got what they deserved. “Criminals pack guns, but they’re not the only ones. They gotta realize that, gotta always remember that, there’s gonna be a time when it’s gonna be their time. Not only the ones they try to rob,” he said.
Investigators said a possible fourth suspect, who may have been acting as the getaway driver, escaped in a gold or tan, square-body, four-door sedan, possibly a Nissan or a Toyota from the early-to-mid ’90s.
Officials are asking anyone with information about either the case or the fourth suspect to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477 or the Houston Police Department Homicide at 713-308-3600.
