HOUSTON, Texas – A woman was shot Monday in a gang-related drive-by as she slept in her bed at a home in north Houston, police said.
Brenda Reyna, 62, was shot at 3:30 a.m. at a home in the 700 block of East Sunnyside.
She was taken to Lydon B. Johnson Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Neighbors said they heard the several gunshots.
"I just heard gunshot after gunshot," Jose Perez said.
The side of the home, and a vehicle in the driveway was riddled with bullet holes.
Investigators said someone in a four-door sedan drove by and shot up the home, killing Reyna as she lay next to her husband.
A neighbor stepped in to help.
"I told him just to put pressure on the wound with a piece of cloth or a shirt. He didn't want anyone around. He was just trying to hold her and comfort her. It was not a good sight to see," the neighbor said.
Police said Reyna was not the intended target. They said they believe her son, who is a known gang member, might have been who the shooter was after.
Reyna’s family said she had three sons and was a grandmother. She was a special education teacher at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Houston Independent School District.
Neighbors said they have seen this happen often.
"This has happened already twice on this block and it's happened a couple of blocks down. Somebody knows somebody that knows something," another neighbor said.
HISD released the following statement:
"We are sad to report that a Jefferson Elementary teaching assistant was killed Monday morning. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this employee, as well as to the entire Jefferson Elementary School community."
Police said they are reviewing surveillance video of the shooting.
Anyone with information about the sooting or the vehicle is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
