Houston Shooting Kills 2, Injures 6 Others Including Policemen
SWAT officer ends the gunman's life
It was a bloody Sunday morning in Houston after a man armed with a high-powered rifle fired shots at random people he saw in the neighborhood including responding police officers.
The gunman, who remain unidentified and described to be in his 50s, reportedly entered an auto detailing store at around 10:15 a.m. where he began a shooting rampage, said Fox News. He killed one customer, who just pulled his car at the shop before he targeted other residents and policemen at the scene.
The attack resulted in the injury of six other individuals including two police officers, who sustained minor injuries but have already been released from the hospital. Authorities are also looking into the possibility that one of the injured victims was also a suspect since he also possessed a weapon at the scene.
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Responding policemen also got a taste of the suspect's attack with a patrol car shot several times on its windshield. Reuters noted that the police officer inside the vehicle escaped with no injuries. The suspect also aimed at a police helicopter and shot it five times.
The suspect did not only cause death and injuries to several persons but also brought chaos for the entire neighborhood. A bullet that pierced through a gas pump caused a fired that gutted the gasoline station.
It was already around noon when the suspect was neutralized after a SWAT officer shot and killed him, reported ABC 13. Houston Police Department spokesperson John Cannon said if the gunman was not immediately shot, the deaths and the injuries could have been a lot worse.
Many residents in the community also feared for their lives after hearing the gunshots. Stephen Dittoe, who lives at the house behind the auto detailing shop, told Fox News that he initially thought it was just a transformer that blew up.
Dittoe's wife, Ha, however, got worried when it continued, which prompted her to sneak their two kids inside the bathroom. She made them eat their breakfast while inside the restroom.
There is still no clear motive based on the investigation of the police, reported Reuters. Authorities, however, have asked the public to help them discover what prompted the gunman to resort to such bloody attack.
Houston Police head Martha Montalvo said the investigation on the incident continues to determine if there was a clear plan to kill and hurt people or the shooting was unprovoked. "We are trying to piece all of this together. It's still a very ongoing investigation," Montalvo added.
