Nine people were injured when an Indian American lawyer, armed
with several weapons opened fire at a southwest
Attorney Nathan Desai was killed and police found weapons in his Porsche car.
Police said six people were taken to hospitals while three were treated at the scene for injuries from broken glass, and released.
One victim is in critical condition with a gunshot wound,
according to
Police exchanged gunfire with the suspected shooter, who died at the scene. It appears that he was killed by a police weapon, said HPD Acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo.
At a 9:15 a.m. press conference, Montalvo said the alleged shooter was a local lawyer and there were "questions" surrounding his law firm.
The incident was initially reported at about 6:30 a.m. near the Randall's grocery store at Weslayan and Bissonnet. The shooter allegedly fired several times into the strip center at that location.
Assistant Houston Fire Department Chief Richard Mann said
gunfire lasted about 20 minutes at
The shootings took place within a mile or two of several schools.
Gunman behind SW Houston
strip mall shootings has died, police say
Six people have been shot
and injured by a shooter in southwest Houston Monday morning.
Police exchanged gunfire with the
suspected shooter, who died at the scene. It appears that he was killed by a
police weapon, said HPD Acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo.
Three victims have been transported
to Southwest Memorial Hospital, one has been taken to Ben Taub General Hospital
and two have been transported to Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center.
At a 9:15 a.m. press
conference, Montalvo said the alleged shooter was a local lawyer and there were
"questions" surrounding his law firm. Montalvo said once the
suspect's car was cleared, officers would conduct a search of both his
apartment and social media accounts for clues regarding the shooting.
No further information was given
about the suspected shooter and there was no indication that a second suspect
was involved, Montalvo said. The FBI is assisting on the investigation.
The incident was initially reported
at about 6:30 a.m. near the Randall's grocery store at Weslayan and Bissonnet.
The shooter allegedly fired several times into the strip center at that
location.
Assistant Houston Fire Department
Chief Richard Mann said gunfire lasted about 20 minutes at Law Street near
Weslayan Plaza.
Six patients are in area hospitals,
he said. Injuries range from extremity wounds to a few that are "more serious,"
he said. There are no fatalities at this time, he said. A total of nine people
were injured in the shooting, with six receiving gunshot wounds, said HFD
spokesman Ruy Lozano.
Memorial Hermann Red Duke
Trauma Institute and Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital have received five
patients from the shooting, said Memorial Hermann director of communications
Kathryn Williams. Three are in good condition, one is in fair, and one is in
critical.
Police have blocked off the
intersection of Law and Weslayan and declared a shelter-in-place for the nearby
Oaks at West University Condominiums where the alleged shooter's vehicle has
been located. A bomb squad is on scene evaluating the vehicle.
Houston Police Department officers
and first responders from the Houston Fire Department are gathered in the mall
parking lot.
A triage area has been set up in
the area.
Eduardo Andrade, 42, was
driving his Audi A3 Monday morning on his way to LA Fitness when he found
himself thrust into the middle of an active shooter scene.
"As I was driving by Law
Street I suddenly heard a big explosion," said Andrade. "I covered
myself, accelerated and tried to get out of there. I did not know if someone
was following me or trying to shoot me."
Two bullets struck his vehicle; one
came through the windshield and the other through the front-passenger
window.
"One bullet hit here and the
other here," he said, pointing at the holes. "I felt the hot
air."
The father of two who works in the
oil and gas industry was on his way to exercise at his gym at about 6:25 a.m.
when the shooting happened.
"It's so random, think of it,
if I was driving a little faster or a little slower, the bullet would have had
a different trajectory," he said.
The shootings took place within a
mile or two of several schools. At West University Elementary, extra school
district police officers patrolled the area as a precaution. At Pin Oak Middle,
cross-country practice was moved indoors. The schools, however, were deemed
safe, and parents received messages telling them that their children would not
be counted as tardy if they arrived late, according to the Houston Independent
School District.
Some businesses remained open Monday morning, though a few in Weslayan Plaza locked their door out of precaution.