One person was killed and 14 others were wounded after a shooting at a family party in Houston in the early hours of Sunday.
The incident occurred along the 6000 block of Cherry Hill in the southeast part of the city.
According to Houston Police Department Assistant Chief Patricia Cantu, when officers arrived at the scene around 12:50 am, three minutes after the initial 911 call, they found multiple people wounded outside of the home while gunfire continued inside.
One person was confirmed dead at the scene; multiple others were rushed to local hospitals where they underwent surgery. First responders used a nearby Jack in the Box restaurant as a staging area for the victims.
Cantu said that more than one person is currently being held for questioning. The assistant chief described the incident as beginning when an “uninvited guest” arrived at the home. When that man was asked to leave, he opened fire.
Police have not confirmed that the shooter is in custody.
“This whole incident started as a family party and gathering. I believe some of the witnesses are saying they had an uninvited guest who was asked to leave,” Cantu said.
“He left, and as he was leaving, he began shooting in the area, and there was return fire from the residents. The person who did this was uninvited and asked to leave, and he began the incident of gunfire.”
“If there's any witnesses that left the house, the residents, please call our Homicide Division. We are definitely going to need your help. We have people detained right now, and Homicide will later start pushing out suspect information to get your help to get this person detained and arrested.”
“This scene is ongoing. It's still very complicated. It was chaotic from the get-go getting here.”
Anyone with any information on the shooting should contact the Houston Police Department at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (5237).
