Four people are dead and two others were injured when a man allegedly set fire to a group of homes in Houston and then shot at fleeing residents and firefighters who responded to the scene, ABC 13 reports.
The attack occurred early Sunday, with authorities responding around 1 a.m. to a report of a fire and someone down in the southwest part of the city.
When fire crews arrived, they encountered someone shooting at them and took cover.
“This suspect, unfortunately, and very sadly, and very evilly, set fire to several residences, laid wait for those residents to come out and fired upon them,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told reporters at a news conference, according to KHOU-TV.
Police officers soon located the attacker, who was in a parking lot wearing all black, and shot and killed him. The shooter’s identity has not been released, but he has been described as a Black man in his 40s.
The investigation is still early, but police believe the suspect may have been an angry tenant who was in the process of being evicted and wanted to retaliate against people in the neighborhood. The man may have set fire to the homes to make residents easy targets.
“Our officer arrived and took action, and for that, I’m very proud of him. He’s a seven-year veteran out of the south Gessner division. And again, as usual, per policy, he’ll be put on administrative leave,” Finner told reporters, according to ABC 13.
The victims are two white men in their 60s who died at the scene, in addition to a Black man in his 40s who died at a hospital. Two other people were injured in the shooting but survived; only one of the injured was hospitalized.
“I’ve seen things that I haven’t seen before in 32 years, and it’s happened time and time again,” Finner told reporters, according to KHOU-TV. “We just ask that the community come together.”
Authorities recovered a shotgun and are continuing to investigate.
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