Texas Man Indicted in Fatal Shooting of Afghan Refugee Who Aided U.S. Troops

A man has been indicted on a murder charge following the fatal shooting of an Afghan refugee and U.S. military ally during a parking dispute at a Houston apartment complex. This indictment comes more than three months after the incident occurred.

Abdul Rahman Waziri, 31, tragically lost his life on April 27 as he was collecting his mail. The individual accused of the shooting, Katia Trevon Bougere, 31, presented himself to law enforcement at the location and stated that the dispute was related to a parking space. Authorities have released Bougere while the investigation continues.

Waziri’s family and military veterans who served alongside him expressed their frustration over the ongoing delay, raising concerns about the apparent lack of progress. “It was devastating,” expressed his brother Abdullah Khan, who collaborated with Waziri in Afghanistan, dismantling improvised explosives for U.S. Special Forces. “Seeing the person who took my brother's life go unpunished for months—it’s simply awful.”

Bougere has been indicted by a grand jury in Harris County this week, although an arrest has not yet taken place. He has received a summons to appear in court on August 5.

A witness allegedly informed family members that Waziri was not the instigator, raising his hands and stating, “Don’t shoot,” prior to his death. Bougere has asserted that he acted in self-defense, as stated by the family's attorney, Omar Khawaja, who characterized Waziri as a “gentle giant.”

Waziri arrived in the United States in 2021 following the American exit from Afghanistan. He intended to reunite with his brother in Tampa, Florida, alongside his wife and two daughters once his lease in Houston came to an end.

Advocates for Waziri, comprising former U.S. Green Berets and the nonprofit 1208 Foundation, have rallied for accountability, amassing more than 86,000 petition signatures to urge for legal action.

“We believed we had put the gunfire behind us in Afghanistan,” Khan stated. “However, it discovered us in this location.”

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has chosen not to provide any comments, referencing the active investigation.

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