Skip to main content
Partly Cloudy icon
57º

Employee shot to death at north Houston mattress store, police say

HOUSTON – Police officials said an employee was shot to death Monday at a mattress store in north Houston.

Authorities said Jose Gilberto Rodriguez is a person of interest in the shooting.

WATCH: News conference on mattress store murder possibly being related to others

The shooting was reported about 3:30 p.m. at the Mattress One store in the Northline Commons shopping center at Interstate 45 North Freeway and East Crosstimbers Street.

Edward Magana was pronounced dead at the scene.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez made a plea for the public to help find Rodriguez.

"The Houston community has always risen and provided information," Gonzalez said. "We have serious concerns that this individual will strike again."

Raul Magana first saw the news about a shooting rampage on his phone. He tried to remember the name of the mattress store where his father, Edward, worked, but he couldn't.

Raul wasn't worried at first, because his brother said he had spoken to their father by phone recently, on his lunch break, and everything seemed fine. But then dad didn't answer his phone for hours.

By 8 p.m., when Edward Magana, a 57-year-old father of four from El Salvador, would have been heading home, the family learned from a detective with the Houston Police Department that he would not be coming after all.

Edward Magana was killed shortly after his lunch break. A photo is Edward is below.

This is the second homicide at a mattress store since Saturday, when police said a manager found Allie Barrow, 28, dead from a gunshot wound to the head in a Mattress Firm store in northwest Houston.

Police said the mattress store incidents are connected to a woman's shooting death in Cypress on Friday.

Houston police and Harris County authorities are searching for a man considered a person of interest in the three fatal shootings and other crimes in the area.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said Jose Gilberto Rodriguez, 46, a registered sex offender, is considered a serial killer and is believed to be armed and dangerous.

Gonzalez is described as being Hispanic, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 135 pounds and thin. Deputies said he has short black hair with tattoos on both forearms and his neck.

Police also said they are looking for a gray 2017 Nissan Sentra with license plate KPD2805 that he was last seen driving.

Mattress One released the following statement:

"Mattress One is deeply saddened and would like to offer its deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of its deceased associate.

"On July 16th we lost a valued team member and were very saddened by the events that transpired. We are fully cooperating with all law enforcement to quickly bring justice to this matter. Out of respect for the team member, his family and the law enforcement investigation we will refrain from commenting further at this time."


Loading...