A Texas man appeared in court this week, accused of leaving a date, fatally shooting a man who allegedly scammed him for $40 in parking fees, then returning to the date.

Erick Aguirre, 29, was arrested in Corpus Christi after a warrant was issued for his arrest on April 15 and returned to Harris County to face the charges, KPTC reported. He was reportedly on probation for an aggravated assault in south Texas at the time.

Investigators said that Aguirre and his date arrived separately for dinner in east downtown Houston, known as “EaDo,” on April 11. The couple were approached by Elliot Nix, 46, who told them he was a parking attendant and asked for $40 to park their two vehicles. Aguirre and the woman walked to a corner store to get cash and returned, then went into the restaurant Rodeo Goat across the street for dinner.

They hadn’t even gotten inside when a restaurant employee stopped them, according to KTRK.

“There was a waiter who knew that the guy was scamming people for parking, and he advised them, ‘Hey, that guy is scamming you for parking,’” Rick DeToto, the attorney for Aguirre’s date, told KPRC.

Witnesses, working at the nearby EaDo Glass and Smoke shop, saw Aguirre run to his car, take out a gun, and then chase after Nix out of sight, KTRK said. The witness reported hearing a gunshot, and  then Aguirre returned and calmly put the gun back in his car and returned to meet up with his date.

Nix was later found on Chartres Street, around the corner. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“She knows that he was upset, and he went after the person that allegedly scammed them, but they went to have dinner, and at some point, the defendant said he was uncomfortable with the restaurant and they left,” DeToto told KPRC.

The couple went to another location to have dinner, KTRK reported.

The date didn’t realize what had happened, he said, until the following day, when Houston police released surveillance images of the couple they said they wanted to question about the shooting.

She spoke with police voluntarily on April 13, according to KPRC.

“She wanted to do the right thing. She wanted to make sure that she came forward and told the police what she knew,” DeToto said.

The date was not charged.

Aguirre was booked into the Harris County Jail on Tuesday, and his bond was set at $200,000 at his court appearance on Thursday.

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[Featured image: Erick Aguirre/Houston Police Department]