Man shot at by suspected mailman shooter: ‘I prayed so hard’

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A wife is grateful her husband is alive after she says he was shot at while working at a gas station.

Fortunately, he was not hit, but authorities say the same shooter shot a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier that same day.

READ MORE: $50,000 reward offered in shooting of mail carrier

Joyce Pasia’s husband, Rudy, has worked at Costco on Bunker Hill Road for 18 years. On Saturday, he got quite a scare.

“He thought this guy was going to ask for help because he helps members that come there for gas,” said Joyce. “Next thing he heard was a ‘Pow!'”

It was a gunshot. The gun misfired or jammed and Rudy wasn’t hit.

“It scared me. Really scared me,” said his wife.

Investigators say the suspect, 24-year-old Matthew Williams, also rear-ended a car in the same shopping center and continued driving. The driver he hit followed Williams, taking photos of the Honda Fit he was driving, as they were stopped at a red light.

The driver provided the picture to ABC13. He did not know the images would provide a link in a much bigger case.

READ MORE: Man arrested in mail carrier shooting near Spring Branch

Shortly before learning about the Costco shooting, officers had responded to a separate shooting about a mile-and-a-half away in a Spring Branch-area neighborhood, where a mail carrier was shot in the back and the stomach. Investigators were able to connect the shootings to Williams. The ATF used an explosive-detection K9 to search for shell casings.

“[It was] scary. I was scared. Finally, I realized, ‘Oh, this is true,’ because I couldn’t believe it is true,” said Joyce.

Joyce said she’s grateful Williams was arrested and in jail. She’s also glad her husband wasn’t hurt and is still alive.

“The next day, we went to church and he told me, ‘You know, I prayed so hard and I thank the Lord that he saved me,'” she said.