Suspect, 20, arrested in fatal shooting of man outside convenience store in SW Houston

HOUSTON – A 20-year-old is accused of fatally shooting a man during an argument outside of a southwest Houston convenience store in February.

Michael Coates has been charged with murder in the death of 29-year-old Marcus Mercado.

On Feb. 11 at about 12:25 p.m., police responded to a shooting at the Sunrise Grocery Store at 9834 Meadowglen Lane.

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They arrived to find the victim, later identified as Mercado, unresponsive in the parking lot.

Paramedics pronounced Mercado dead at the scene.

According to police, a witness told investigators that Mercado and another man got into a heated argument when the suspect pulled a pistol from his pocket and fatally shot the victim.

The suspect then fled on foot.

Coates was arrested on March 22 on an unrelated charge and, two days later, was charged for his alleged role in Mercado’s death.