Sam Irick always had a weak spot for the underdog.

That's what moved him to choose a mixed stray from the shelter recently. It's what motivated him to stand up to bullies picking on others in school.

And that same concern prompted the 24-year-old to intervene Thursday morning when an armed purse snatcher attacked a woman outside a gas station in Houston's Meyerland area. Irick suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. The robber got away, but the woman wasn't harmed.

"There are instances in the past that he's done things like this and I've fussed at him," his mother Randi Wood said late Thursday. "He always tried to help people. It's just him. This makes so much sense."

The death shocked Irick's family, but the circumstances did not.

"That was his character," said stepfather, Lawrence Wood, speaking from the couple's Spring home. "He's always been that way."

Irick was at the Chevron station in the 4600 block of Beechnut at the West Loop just after midnight when a woman at the service window was approached by a man with a pistol. As he grabbed the woman's purse, Irick tried to help. That's when the robber shot Irick and fled with the handbag. A station attendant called 911. Police have released surveillance photos of a man wanted in connection with the shooting.

Concerned for others

Irick's parents describe him as an outgoing guy with lots of friends who enjoyed golf, soccer and fishing. The profile picture on his Facebook page shows him on a sunny, wooded green concentrating on his next swing.

Samuel Keith Irick was born in Fort Worth on March 28, 1986, but spent almost all of his formative years in the Houston area.

As a boy, his mother thought his concern for others went overboard at times.

"It used to annoy me because we didn't have much money. He would give away his shirt if somebody liked it," Randi Wood said. "He would get in fights if someone picked on someone else."

Irick attended Spring and Klein ISD schools — what was then Oak Creek Elementary, Wells Middle School and Klein High. He spent his senior year living with his father in Austin.

Towering more than 6 feet, Irick was a lean guy whose looks as a preteen were compared to heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, his mother said.

After high school, he tried entrepreneurship by starting a carpet cleaning business in the Dallas area. In recent years, he overcame a battle with drugs and started a new life in Houston.

Irick was attending Houston Community College, working overtime at a machine shop, hitting the gym to stay in shape and looking forward to a career in architecture.

"He was really heading in the right direction," his mother said — and still maintaining his reputation as a "Johnny-on-the-spot."

'What a great kid'

A couple of months ago, Irick was leaving a store and noticed a woman with luggage standing alone in the parking lot. She was one of last passengers still waiting after a tour bus unloaded. He went over and asked the lady if he could call somebody or take her somewhere.

"Turns out it was a woman that I'd gone to high school with," Randi Wood said. "She called me and said 'What a great kid.' That's an example of the kind of personality he had."

Irick last spent time with his family on Saturday at his maternal grandmother's house as they made plans for Thanksgiving dinner.

He also introduced them to his new mutt, who he planned to name either Rocks or Rocky.

"He was so promising. He had so much he was excited about," his mother said. "He wanted to have a family, but he wanted to pick the right woman."

cindy.george@chron.com