Teen suspect arrested in northwest Houston store clerk slaying

One of the suspects believed pictured in surveillance footage taken before the fatal shooting has been apprehended. One of the suspects believed pictured in surveillance footage taken before the fatal shooting has been apprehended. Photo: Metro Video Photo: Metro Video Image 1 of / 93 Caption Close Teen suspect arrested in northwest Houston store clerk slaying 1 / 93 Back to Gallery

One of the armed robbers believed responsible for gunning down a northwest Houston convenience store clerk has been apprehended and charged with murder, officials said.

Jose Bonilla-Ortiz, 18, was arrested Saturday morning at his apartment about two miles north of the Metro Food Mart where he is accused of killing an employee, Houston police Detective Jason Fay confirmed.

Fay cited the help of tipsters for identifying the teen after surveillance footage showed two hoodie-wearing robbers responsible for killing Bangladeshi-immigrant Faruk Bhuiya.

A second man seen on video during the Nov. 10 holdup in the 1600 block of Witte Road has not been caught. He was not identified.

DIFFICULT TIMES: Armed robberies take a tragic toll on Houston families

Bhuiya’s grief-stricken widow gasped during a phone call Sunday night after learning that a teenager was arrested in her husband’s death.

She shared her sympathy to the mother of the teen being held on the murder charge.

“I feel bad for this boy’s mother. His life is ruined. Ruined for nothing, absolutely nothing,” Phyllis Bhuiya told the Houston Chronicle. “I wish I could hug that boy’s mother.”

She believes her husband would have wanted her to forgive his killer and she does. But Bhuiya wants the court of law to take its course should the suspect be convicted of killing the clerk.

“I want him punished for what he did. He didn’t just take my husband. He took someone’s son, someone’s stepfather,” she said. “He wasn’t just my husband. He was a lot of things to a lot of people.”

Bonilla-Ortiz, who has no prior criminal history in Harris County, is slated to appear in court Monday morning. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.

Meanwhile, jail records show Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on Bonilla-Ortiz because he is not believed to be a U.S. citizen. He was deported in 2016, according to prosecutors. It was not immediately clear where he is from.

Officials at ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

Bhuiya was the second store clerk to be gunned down during a robbery this month. Hafeez Qureshi, a father of five, was shot to death at Sonny's on Dairy Ashford the day before he planned on retiring. He was 66.