BAYTOWN, Texas – A teenage home invasion suspect was shot Sunday and died on a Baytown street.
Investigators said gunfire erupted just before 10 p.m. after an 18-year-old and another man forced their way into an apartment in the 300 block of South Pruett.
Police said Jalen Cole, 18, and another man broke in wearing masks and attempted to rob the home. People inside the apartment started shooting back and Cole was shot. He later died in the street. His accomplice ran away.
“I heard gunshots and I was on the phone with my son and when I looked out, a guy was like down in a puddle of mud in the yard and he was crying for help, but very faintly,” said a neighbor who did not wish to give her name. “After a while he was able to drag himself from the yard to the street, where he eventually succumbed to his wounds.”
Another bullet went through a wall and hit a neighbor in the shoulder. The neighbor was flown to a hospital and was taken into surgery.
“Last night I heard what appeared to be four sounds of something striking that metal gate,” said neighbor Marian Stein. “Having it hit this close to home is concerning.”
It is unclear why the apartment was targeted.
People who knew the home invasion victim and the neighbor said they are related and might have known the 18-year-old suspect.
Investigators are looking for Jeremy Jamal Wheaton Ardion, 30, who they are calling a person of interest in the shooting.
Anyone with information about the shooting or the whereabouts of the second suspect is asked to call the Baytown Police Department at 281-422-8371.
Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and charging of the suspect in this case. Tips can be submitted by calling 281-427-TIPS or texting Baytown plus the tip to CRIMES. All tipsters may remain anonymous.
