Dr. Joseph Varon works 366th consecutive day amid pandemic
HOUSTON โ Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Joseph Varon has become a leading national voice in the fight against the deadly virus. On Saturday, Varon worked his 366th consecutive day at United Memorial Medical Center in North Houston, and he said the pandemic is far from over. Dozens of people from Solid Rock Ministries thanked Dr. Varon and other healthcare workers for their hard work and sacrifice on Saturday. โIt was pretty scary, once you canโt breathe and you have double pneumonia thatโs really scary,โ Hernandez said. Varon said once things get a little better, he plans to take a trip to the beach and get some much-needed sleep.
Church catches fire as result of homeless squatters trying to stay warm, officials say
A church and an attached residence were engulfed in flames Thursday night in north Houston, according to Harris County Sheriffโs Office. HOUSTON โ A North Houston church and attached home were damaged by a fire Thursday night and investigators believe it was started by homeless individuals trying to stay warm. First responders arrived around 10 p.m. to find the Emmanuel Deliverance Temple in the 4700 block of Littlecrest burning. Assistance was requested of the Harris County Fire Marshalโs Office whose investigators determined the fire began as a warming fire which got out of control. Harris County Sheriffโs Office posted video from the scene:
5-month-old boy left in the road after car stolen in north Houston
HOUSTON โ Houston police said someone left a little boy in the road in north Houston after stealing the vehicle he was in. Surveillance video from New Haven Drive shows a vehicle suddenly stops around 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning. A delivery driver and a neighbor later discovered it was a five-month-old boy. According to the surveillance footage, an Amazon driver saw the boy and told a neighbor roughly 20 minutes after the child was left in the road. Police said the suspect ditched the vehicle about a mile away from where the child was left.
UPDATE: Man arrested in fatal suspected DUI crash in north Houston
HOUSTON โ A 19-year-old Adrienne Exum was killed in a suspected DUI crash in north Houston, according to Harris County Sheriffโs Office. The crash occurred after Sunday afternoon at 191 West Road at North Freeway. Fuerte-Padilla was charged with failure to stop and render aid & driving while under the influence, according to officials. Sam Guar, who knew the victim Exum, and several family members watched sheriffโs deputies clean up the fatal crash on West Road at the North Freeway. As she turned onto West Road, deputies say a Dodge Truck struck her from the side.
Road rage leads to gunfire, critically injuring a 14-year-old girl, says family
HOUSTON โ A 14-year-old girl is in critical condition and her mother was injured after several shots were fired into their vehicle during a โtraffic altercationโ Monday evening, according to Houston police. The shooting was reported around 8:30 p.m. near the intersection of Wheatley and Dolly Wright streets, according to police. โThey had a little fender bender, something like that, and the car spun out of control,โ said Manuel Gutierrez, the womanโs soon-to-be father-in-law. Police said the woman was shot through her ankle and her 14-year-old daughter was shot several times. โSheโs trying to write stuff on paper.โPolice said the 14-year-old and the 16-year-old boys who were in the vehicle were not injured in the shooting.
Small businesses targeted by pandemic crime spree, HPD says
HOUSTON โ At least 11 small businesses have been targeted by the same group of thieves this summer, according to the Houston Police Department. The crime ring seems to be focused in north Houston. Veteran HPD Detective Greg Shelton said he identified and arrested the alleged ring leader, Derrion McCowan, 41. All of the businesses the group ransacked were individually owned, according to HPD. Derrion McCowan, 41, the alleged ring leader, was arrested in connection to the burglary ring in north Houston, according to the Houston Police Department.
New non-profit focuses on reaching survivors of domestic violence in Houstonโs minority communities
HOUSTON โ A new non-profit organization opened its doors in May and is working to reach more survivors of domestic violence in Houstonโs minority communities. โWhat weโve always known is minorities are disproportionally impacted by domestic violence,โ said Carvana Cloud. She herself grew up in Acres Homes and experienced domestic violence as a child. You can also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by using the discreet online chat function on its website or by calling 1โ800โ799โ7233. In our series โStronger Houston,โ we examine issues impacting people inequitably by race, gender, income, age, geography, religion, and other factors.
Pregnant Woman injured after high-speed chase ends in multi-vehicle crash
HOUSTON โ A high-speed chase in north Houston ended when a fleeing driver crashed into three other cars, sending a pregnant woman and another driver to the hospital. It ended when the fleeing driver ran a red light at Gulf Bank and Airline and plowed into three other cars, officials said. One of the drivers was a pregnant woman, officials said. Officials said the suspect ran from the wreckage but was soon caught. Late Monday, constableโs deputies still had not released the names of the suspect or two other drivers who were injured.
Man shot, killed outside McDonaldโs may have known shooter, police say
HOUSTON โ A man is dead after he was shot multiple times in the parking lot of a McDonaldโs in north Houston, according to the Houston Police Department. Witnesses told investigators the man was shot as he was getting out of his vehicle, police said. Investigators said the 27-year-old victim, identified by police at Christepher Howard, was waiting outside while his girlfriend used the restroom. The witness said Howardโs girlfriend came outside and urged her to call the police. Investigators said the victim and shooter may have known each other.
WATCH: 2 arrested after high-speed chase in north Houston
HOUSTON โ Two people were arrested after a high-speed chase in north Houston, according to Harris County Constable Precinct 4. A man and a woman led deputies on a chase that reached speeds up to 120 miles per hour, officials said. The chase ended on the southbound lanes of the Hardy Toll Road feeder near Tidwell Road. Deputies said they started chasing the couple after they refused to pull over during a traffic stop. Check out the video showing the high-speed pursuit: