Houston Man Walks Free After Fatal Shooting of Afghan Refugee, DA Declines Charges

HOUSTON, Texas — A 22-year-old Afghan refugee, Mohammad Hashim Zadran, was fatally shot in a Houston parking lot on October 22, 2024, and the alleged gunman, identified as 25-year-old Brandon Lee McGee, has not been charged, sparking outrage among the victim’s family and community. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has stated that the case remains under review, but no charges have been filed as of May 16, 2025, due to insufficient evidence to proceed at this time.

According to police reports, the incident occurred outside a southwest Houston apartment complex. Witnesses reported that McGee, a local resident, approached Zadran and two other Afghan refugees, who were sitting in a car, and opened fire after a brief altercation. Zadran, who had resettled in Houston after fleeing Taliban persecution in Afghanistan, was struck multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene. McGee allegedly fled but later turned himself in to authorities. Surveillance footage obtained by the Houston Police Department reportedly shows McGee walking away from the scene “casually,” as described by Zadran’s family to The New York Post.

The Harris County DA’s Office, led by District Attorney Kim Ogg, has faced criticism for its handling of the case. In a statement to The Washington Post, the DA’s office explained that the decision not to press charges stems from complexities surrounding self-defense claims under Texas law. Texas has some of the nation’s most permissive gun laws, including “stand your ground” provisions that allow individuals to use deadly force if they perceive a threat. Investigators are examining whether McGee’s actions meet the legal threshold for self-defense, though details of his claims remain undisclosed.

Zadran’s family, devastated by the loss, has called the lack of charges a miscarriage of justice. “He was shot in cold blood, and the killer walks free,” said Zadran’s cousin, Ahmad, in an interview with The New York Times. The family, who relied on Zadran as a breadwinner, described him as a kind and hardworking individual who had been granted asylum in the U.S. after serving as an interpreter for American forces in Afghanistan. Community advocates, including the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), have demanded transparency and urged federal authorities to investigate the shooting as a possible hate crime.

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