One person is dead and several others hurt after a shooting during a large gathering for trail riders last night, police say.
HOUSTON — Houston police are investigating after six people were shot, one of them fatally, Saturday evening in northeast Houston.
According to police, officers were dispersing a large trail-ride crowd on Homestead Road. Investigators said an altercation broke out behind a strip center, and multiple people began shooting at each other.
A total of six people were shot. Officers at the scene immediately rendered aid to three victims, who were later transported by the Houston Fire Department. Three additional victims transported themselves to nearby hospitals.
Police said two victims were in critical condition, including a possibly 20-year-old man and a possibly 15-year-old boy. The 20-year-old man in critical condition died overnight, police told KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi.
The remaining four victims were reported to be in stable condition: a 16-year-old boy, a 20-year-old woman, a 20-year-old man, and a 22-year-old woman.
Authorities said a very large crowd, possibly in the hundreds, was present at the time of the shooting.
Surveillance video obtained by KHOU 11 showed a chaotic scene leading up to the shooting, including a sea of cars filling the strip centers parking lot, people riding horses, ATVs and more. An employee at a grocery store in the strip center said the gathering started around 1:30 p.m. when groups started showing up.
The employee KHOU 11 spoke with said gatherings like this one happen every year, but this time it was different. She said businesses were quickly overwhelmed, bathrooms clogged, and stores vandalized. The employee said they tried to break the crowd up by turning off the parking lot lights.
“But they didn’t leave,” she said.
The employee told KHOU 11 that police were called several times by workers and nearby residents. She claims the officers didn’t show up until several hours later.
“Instead of going in there and getting them away from us, so we need to shut down and talk to us, no they’re standing out here directing traffic until chaos broke,” she said.
KHOU 11 reached out to Houston police for a timeline of calls for service. A spokesperson said those details wouldn’t be available until Monday, but did say that officers initially responded to traffic hazards after vehicles blocked surrounding roadways.
No suspects have been identified, and investigators believe there may have been multiple shooters. Investigators remained at the scene throughout the night and into Sunday morning. It took police about 13 hours to process the sprawling scene.
Detectives recovered more than 50 shell casings from pistols and rifles scattered across the parking lot.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Houston Police Department or Crime Stoppers.
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