HOUSTON – Police were searching for two brothers who allegedly killed two and seriously injured four in a Sunday shooting at the Haverstock Hill Apartments.
Jeremy Jones, 28, and Harvey Jones, 34, were charged in connection with the shooting.
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Jeremy's capital murder charge has since been dropped.
The brothers did not live at the complex.
Officials said that at around 6:28 p.m. Sunday, deputies were called to the 5619 block of Aldine Bender in northeast Harris County and found 31-year-old Gary Rusher shot to death.
Five other people were injured, including a former "America's Next Top Model" contestant.
Christopher Beatty was also taken to LBJ Hospital where he was later pronounced dead due to his injuries, officials said. The four other injured victims were taken to various area hospitals.
Investigators said there was an argument between the victims and a resident.
Someone grabbed a semi-automatic rifle from the vehicle, deputies said. They said a man then grabbed a gun and began shooting at the victims, striking each person several times.
The two then fled in the vehicle, deputies said.
Jeremy Jones was charged with capital murder (charge has since been dropped) and Harvey Jones is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Residents of the the Haverstock Hills Apartments have struggled for years with crime and gangs.
In 2011, then-special prosecutor Kim Ogg obtained a court injunction giving police authority to arrest any known gang members that set foot on the property. That was followed by several police crackdowns over the years, and establishment of a police storefront on the property.
Now Harris County District Attorney, Ogg says she has assigned staff members to meet with residents and law enforcement to determine what more needs to be done.
Responding to the mass shooting Tuesday, Harris Co Judge Ed Emmett said, “Obviously, crime hasn’t been resolved and somebody has to get a handle on it. You can’t have an apartment complex that’s a war zone.”
The Rev. Edward Buford of SonRise Community Church says apartment managers have refused to meet with him to discuss security issues. Buford says he wants the complex to require residents carry a key card to enter through the front gate, station guards there, and install security cameras throughout the complex.
A spokesperson for Equality Community Housing, the company that manages the complex, said management has not refused to talk with Buford. Toni Harrison said crime and gang activity has actually decreased at the complex from about 3,000 police calls for service annually to 400-plus in the last 17 months.
A statement released today by management said in part:
"We have made great strides with reducing crime in our community. We remain committed to our continued efforts to apply all best practices in deterring crime, and work closely with law enforcement to support resident of our complex."
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to contact Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit at 713-274-9100 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story reported Harvey Jones fired the weapon.