Two Dead, Six Wounded, And Police Helicopter Shot Five Times In West Houston Shootout [Updated]


Two are dead and six more are wounded after a multiple-suspect shootout with police in west Houston, Texas. According to ABC 13, the police have reported that their helicopter was also shot five times by rounds from a high-powered rifle.

As per CNN, two suspects opened fire in Houston with high-power AR-15 rifles; according to police, the shootings appear to have been completely random. The shooters struck bystanders, the police helicopter, and nearby parked vehicles.

Interim Houston Police Chief Martha Montalvo said that no motive for the shooting was apparent.

“We do not know what started this, but what we do know is they were shooting randomly, just at whoever.”

A total of eight people were shot, including both suspects and two police constables; one officer was shot in the hand, while the other was treated and released, saved from a fatal shot by his bulletproof vest. One suspect and one bystander were killed in the crossfire. As NBC reported, the other suspect remains in critical condition.

According to Montalvo, as a SWAT team and helicopter responded to the incident, the gunmen switched targets to the helicopter, striking it at least five times. A fire also broke out at a nearby gas station during the shooting, and police suspect that a stray round may have struck the gas pumps, igniting the fire.

The police say that the suspects have not been identified, but are described as two men, either white or hispanic, on foot and carrying AR-15 assault rifles.

When the shooting was first reported, an officer was dispatched to investigate. Upon his arrival, the suspect opened fire.

“By the grace of God, he didn’t sustain any injuries,” Montalvo said. More units and a SWAT team were called in and a perimeter was established.

Authorities ordered civilians to shelter in place; the civilian who was killed was reportedly later found dead in their car, although Montalvo later said that “no correct location” for the body was available, and indicated that an investigation was ongoing.

“These kind of things can happen in any neighborhood. It doesn’t really matter where you live, but the police were here. They responded very very quickly at their own peril.”

The condition and identities of the other three civilians shot and wounded — one woman and two men — is still unknown.

Update: According to ABC 13, the police have indicated that the only Houston law enforcement officer who fired his weapon was the SWAT officer who struck the shooter.

Precinct 5 Chief Ted Heap also indicated that the officer whose vest was shot was taking cover behind a patrol car when a bullet penetrated both windows and struck him in the chest; another deputy constable, sitting in his car, was fired on several times, the bullets striking the windshield, but was unharmed.

He confirmed that all officers from his precinct were all right.

“Anytime that you have a situation like this where not only the public – in this mass amount of shots fired – the public is threatened, but when you have eight officers on the scene like that, it’s just a miracle today we didn’t have officers that were hurt.”

The shelter-in-place order has been lifted, as police have determined that the situation is under control, but this story is still developing and the Inquisitr will continue to update as more information becomes available.

[Photo by Dave Einsel/Getty Images]

Share this article: Two Dead, Six Wounded, And Police Helicopter Shot Five Times In West Houston Shootout [Updated]
More from Inquisitr