SHENANDOAH, Texas – What started as a verbal argument at the bar of an Outback Steakhouse in Shenandoah ended up as a shooting in the parking lot Sunday, officers with the Shenandoah Police Department said.
Police responded to reports of a shooting at the restaurant located on I-45 and Vision Park. When officers arrived at the scene, they were reportedly alerted about a shooting victim driving a pickup truck with bullet holes that had just arrived at the emergency room of Methodist Hospital on I-45 and SH 242.
According to investigators, an argument between two men started at the bar and moved into the restaurant parking lot. As one of the men involved in the argument was leaving the parking lot, police said the other man retrieved a pistol and started firing at that man’s vehicle. Officers said shell casings filled the parking lot and the man who was shot at was hit with bullets.
Police said the victim drove himself to Methodist Hospital and was later transferred to Memorial Hermann Woodlands in critical condition.
Montgomery County Crime Scene units assisted Shenandoah police with the investigation, as did the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
As of midnight, investigators were reportedly still at the scene interviewing the shooter. At the time of the shooting, authorities said the parking lot and restaurant were filled with customers. Officers said many were forced to wait hours to retrieve their vehicles, which were parked in what was part of the crime scene. Others called rideshare companies to leave the scene.
Shenandoah police plan to provide an update with additional details.