On January 13, 2024, at approximately 8:05 p.m., 47-year-old Joseph Anthony Williams was fatally shot at a gas station located at 3821 Old Spanish Trail in Houston, Texas. Houston Police Department (HPD) officers were alerted to the scene by a passing motorist and found Williams unresponsive near the gas pumps. Paramedics from the Houston Fire Department arrived shortly thereafter and pronounced him deceased.
Witnesses at the scene reported that Williams had been involved in an altercation with a woman, later identified as 35-year-old Shayla Monique Washington, also known as Shayla Monique Rugimbana. During the confrontation, Washington allegedly shot Williams in the mouth before fleeing the scene in a silver Nissan Armada bearing Texas paper tags 4544E98.
Following the incident, HPD's Homicide Division conducted an investigation, gathering witness statements and evidence that led to Washington being charged with murder in the 184th State District Court. A citywide manhunt ensued, and on January 17, 2024, officers from HPD's North Division Crime Suppression Team successfully apprehended Washington. She was subsequently booked into the Harris County Jail.
The motive behind the shooting remains under investigation, and it is unclear whether Williams and Washington had any prior relationship. Authorities have not disclosed further details regarding the circumstances leading up to the fatal encounter. Washington now faces serious legal consequences as she awaits trial for the alleged murder of Joseph Williams.
