This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/29/houston-shooting-two-dead-gunman-texas

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Houston shooting: two people, including gunman, dead Houston shooting: two people, including gunman, dead
(about 2 hours later)
Authorities said a gunman and at least one other person were dead in a shooting in Houston on Sunday. Two men armed with high-powered rifles went on a shooting rampage through a suburban Houston neighborhood on Sunday, police said, resulting in two deaths and multiple injuries.
Police spokesman John Cannon said two armed suspects were involved and the second person at the shooting scene had been wounded and taken to a hospital. Violence erupted at about 10.15am at an auto repair shop, police said. The incident was not declared over for more than two hours as police combed the area, searching for the suspects, who appeared to be shooting at officers and random civilians, and even a helicopter.
Police urged residents of the west side neighborhood to remain in their homes, amid reports of a man firing a weapon. One motorist told Houston television station KHOU his pick-up truck was hit by a bullet that went through a door. One of the suspects was killed and the other was shot and is in critical condition, police said. A victim died after being shot in the head by a suspect while in a vehicle, Martha Montalvo, the city’s interim police chief, told reporters. The man was found in the parking lot of the repair shop.
Two officers narrowly escaped serious injury and three civilians were hurt, Montalvo said. One of the officers was struck by a bullet but survived because he was wearing a protective vest, she said. A deputy was hit in the hand. The condition of the others was not immediately known.
“The suspects had high-powered rifles, AR-15s,” she said. “We do not know what started this but we do know that they were shooting randomly.”
A fire broke out at a gas station opposite the repair shop, possibly sparked by a bullet hitting a pump, Montalvo said, while a police helicopter had to take evasive action after being shot at, underlining the power of the weapons used. They were described as white or Hispanic but no further information was released.
SWAT teams went door-to-door conducting searches in the neighbourhood around Memorial Drive, which is mostly residential but also has a country club and two big upscale outdoor shopping malls.
Full of families and popular with energy industry workers, the area 15 miles west of downtown Houston is what many would consider an example of the American dream, with large detached homes along quiet, tree-lined streets, many flying the Stars and Stripes by their front porches.
But on Sunday it was more akin to a battleground as police blocked off roads, officers swarmed the streets as a helicopter buzzed overhead and locals were urged to shelter indoors.
This guy is super lucky. Was shot at at by shooter while he was driving. He's okay! #khou11 pic.twitter.com/Aou97HnfGwThis guy is super lucky. Was shot at at by shooter while he was driving. He's okay! #khou11 pic.twitter.com/Aou97HnfGw
Cannon said the second deceased person was found inside a vehicle. The circumstances of how the second person died were not immediately available. One resident told KHOU local news that he was driving when a bullet came through the right front door of his truck and through the front passenger seat. “I was driving, and that’s when I heard ‘thump’,” he said.
Authorities blocked several streets in the area to keep traffic out. Cannon described the scene as an active investigation. Lisa Schwartz was returning from church when she passed the initial scene, a few blocks from her home.
More follows “I just thought the first shot was a firecracker,” she said, standing on the corner of a street blocked off at both ends by about a dozen police cars. “We drove right by it … then we kept hearing multiple rounds and it was close.”
Another resident, Kevin Swantkowski, “thought it was fireworks”, he said, until he realised the time, and wondered: “Why are they doing fireworks?”
He described the area as “just suburbia”. The events were “pretty crazy,” he added. “Man, guess we’re staying in tonight.”