PASADENA, Texas – The suspected gunman in a shooting near Pasadena Memorial High School that injured two students on Feb. 28 has been arrested.
Damian Alexander Saiz, 19, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was not a student at the school.
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Original report: Do you know him? Suspect sought after two students shot near Pasadena Memorial High
What happened
The shooting happened on Feb. 28 across the street from the school after dismissal around 2:55 p.m. What started as a fight escalated to gunfire. According to court documents, the fight had been planned ahead of time.
Pasadena police say they were on the scene just three minutes after getting the call. They found two Memorial High School students injured—one had been shot in the chest, and the other in the left arm.
According to court documents, the 16-year-old boy who was shot in the chest was airlifted to the hospital and found to have a collapsed lung and a broken rib. The second victim’s age was not provided, but he received stitches for the gunshot wound on his arm.
READ: Suspect identified in shooting near Pasadena Memorial HS that injured 2 students
Witnesses say the fight between a group of boys in a parking lot after school quickly turned into gunfire when one of them pulled out a gun and started shooting into the crowd. Pasadena ISD Police Department officials received videos recorded near the scene that lined up with these reports.
After firing three or four shots, the shooter got into a maroon Chevrolet Silverado truck with at least two other men and took off.
Through the Flock license plate camera system, investigators were able to locate the truck they believed was involved in the attack. The truck’s plate number linked back to a home address, where the vehicle was found to be parked. Crime Stoppers also received a tip, showing a man on social media wearing an identical hoodie as the man recorded at the scene of the shooting. The account user is posting under the name “Damo Saiz.”
Officers watched three men exit the home and get into a vehicle, and they were pulled over after committing a traffic violation.
Through further investigation, authorities learned that two of the teens were at the scene of the fight: one was driving the truck, and the other was involved in the fight.
After the gunshots sounded, the driver said he rushed back to his truck, unaware of who had fired them. He said that Saiz, whom he has known since fifth grade, got into the front passenger’s seat with a gun tucked in his waistband. When the driver realized Saiz had fired the shots he just heard, he told him to get out. In response, Saiz pointed the gun at him and told him to drive away.
The driver then drove the truck to a large field, where Saiz told him to stop. He got out of the truck and walked into the field, and the driver left the area.
He said he hadn’t spoken to Saiz since.
