Officials raise reward in effort to identify Subway employee's killer

HOUSTON – Crime Stoppers and the Houston Police Department's Robbery Division raised the reward for anyone with information on the shooter who they say killed 18-year-old Javier Flores during a press conference Saturday. 

The Subway on Broadway Street remained closed on Friday, and the memorial in front of the store continues to grow as friends, family and the community mourns the death of Flores, police said.

The 18-year-old Chavez High School student was shot and killed Wednesday night after protecting his mother from armed robbers inside the Subway they worked at, police said.

“I looked at Javier and Javier looked at me, then the guy just said, ‘Move,’ and then he pointed the gun at me,” explained Hilda Vasquez, Javier’s mother.

She said she was cleaning the store when the two men walked in.

Vasquez said the gunmen pointed the gun at her head, and that’s when her son pushed her to the side.

“The first instinct Javier had was run around and he just pushed me,” said Javier’s mother.

She said her son was shot in the neck and then later died.

"He just stopped shaking and moving, and everything was full of blood. I couldn't save my son," said Vasquez.

The hunt is on to find the men who are accused of having shot and killed the 18-year-old.

"If anybody sees these bastards, help us find them," Vasquez said. "The one that had the gun had a black hoodie with white letters. He was kind of skinny. Long nose."

[WATCH: Mother of Subway robbery victim speaks]

Houston police believe the men who they say killed Javier are responsible for another robbery at a different Subway that same night. Investigators released surveillance video from the 4800 block of San Jacinto.

One suspect was wearing a navy hoodie with lime green and white letters that said, "We're a B16 Deal" and "Class of 2016." The other suspect was wearing a dark-colored hoodie with the words "California Republic" and an image of the Golden State's flag.

[WATCH: Surveillance video of subway robbery suspects]

"We have one black male.18 to 20 years old. 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall. No facial hair. He’s dark colored. Dark in complexion. He was wearing a dark blue hoodie and black pants," said Crowther. "We have another black male suspect that appears to be mid-teens to maybe 17 years old. He was wearing a light blue hoodie and dark pants as well.”

Police described the person in the sketch as a black male, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with a slim build, wearing a black hoodie that has California spelled out in white letters with a bear on the front.

The second suspect was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt that had the letters and numbers of "B16," police said.

[Pictures released of the two suspects and car involved in shooting of Javier Flores]

Investigators said the men got away in a tan- or gold-colored, four-door sedan, possibly a Mazda Portege from the early 2000s.

The reward in this case has been increased to $40,000 for information leading to the charging or arrest of suspects in the case. Anyone with information about the case should call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.