HOUSTON – A 15-year-old is in the hospital after being shot by Houston police during a confrontation early Friday morning in southwest Houston.
HPD officers were called to an apartment complex in the 8300 block of Cinnamon Lane near Beechnut Street around 2:40 a.m. after reports of gunfire.
One neighbor, Bill Drum, told KPRC 2’s Re’Chelle Turner that it sounded like a warzone during the shooting.
“It was around 2 in the morning. It woke me up, actually,” Drums said. “Because it was just multiple gunshots, and I’d heard all the stuff I knew. It had to be, like, outside the apartment right here, close to my apartment and stuff. And it just woke me up, and it scared the heck out of me, you know what I’m saying? How many gunshots? It had to be at least 10. And it sounded like different calibers. Scared the heck out of me.”
KPRC2’s Re’Chelle Turner spoke to a family at the complex.
“Everything was good until last night,” said Chary Martinez, who recently moved to the complex with her family.
She recalled being in bed when the chaos started.
“I was in bed, I was watching a movie, and then out of nowhere, I just started hearing gunshots,” Martinez said. “At first I was like, it cannot be. But then it came out consecutive, I was like, yes, that’s definitely a gunshot. I just heard people running, a guy running.”
Worried for her children, Martinez made a quick decision.
“I was like, you know what, let me stay in my bed, because I have my kids. But then I thought, oh, my kids. So I had to go and check on them to see if they were fine, because a bullet has no name on it. A bullet is a name for everybody,” she said.
As officers were walking through the complex, they say they spotted a group of people who began shooting at them. Among them, a 15-year-old, who police say had a rifle and was firing.
Officers believed he posed a threat and opened fire, hitting the teen.
HPD says the teen ran to a nearby apartment, and it was his parents who flagged down officers.
“It scares me because I have a 15-year-old myself. I have a 15-year-old, a 13-year-old, a 17-year-old,” she said. “So of course, me as a mom, it scares me to find out there’s a 15-year-old with a gun around. It’s dangerous,” Martinez said.
The 15-year-old has pending charges that will be referred to the Harris County Juvenile Probation Authorities. Because he is a minor, his identity will not be released.
The two officers involved are a 16-year veteran and a 6-year veteran—neither was hurt.
Police said an 20-year-old woman was also arrested and has pending charges. Investigators believe more people may have been involved, and surveillance video could help identify them.
The officers involved in the shooting were placed on a three-day leave to speak with attorneys and undergo any evaluation.
HPD’s Internal Affairs Division and the District Attorney’s Office will investigate, as is standard protocol.
