HOUSTON – A 12-year-old boy was shot while sleeping on the couch inside an apartment located across the street from a club in northwest Harris County Thursday, deputies said.
Precinct 1 deputies responded to reports of a shooting around 2:30 a.m. at an apartment complex located at 7302 Alabonson Rd.
When authorities arrived at the scene, they found the boy with gunshot wounds. Deputies said he was breathing when they arrived.
Paramedics with the Houston Fire Department transported the boy to Texas Children’s Hospital, where Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said his condition is fair. Gonzalez said the boy’s wounds are serious and he was possibly struck with a round from an assault rifle, injuring “several parts of his body.”
According to Gonzalez, 80 to 100 rounds were fired during the shooting.
“There are suspect(s) on the run, armed with assault rifles, that shot a teen,” Gonzalez said. “They pose a serious threat to public safety. Help us identify them and bring them to justice.”
“It’s just reckless and senseless,” HCSO Lt. Cedrick Collier said during a news conference Thursday morning. “As you can see, gun violence is on the rise and we as a community have to come together and put a stop to it because it’s just senseless.”
Watch the full news conference below:
Collier said investigators watched surveillance video and know of five suspects that may have been involved in the incident.
According to Collier, the suspects were shooting at each other when the incident occurred. They are unsure if the altercation started in the club, which has not yet been named by HCSO, but Collier said authorities have been called several times about other disturbances that have happened there.
Gonzalez said it was possible when the shooting occurred, one of the suspects involved entered the club and remained inside. As a precaution, HCSO has deployed a SWAT team to safely clear and secure the building. While they did not find anyone inside, deputies said they found two pistols and an assault rifle they believed were used in the shooting.
The sheriff is asking anyone that was at the club during the time of the shooting to contact HCSO at (713) 221-6000 or at (713) 221-TIPS (8477), and they can remain anonymous.