UPDATE: The shooting suspect’s father identified the gunman as Laurence Thompson III, of San Antonio. He was in Houston for the holidays and was schizophrenic, KHOU11 reported.
A suspect’s father and sister witnessed a shooting spree that saw four people shot, and the alleged gunman killed by police in Houston on Friday.
That’s according to Houston Police Department (HPD) Chief Art Acevedo, who extended condolences to the suspect’s family and offered no speculation as to what preceded the shootings.
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The incident unfolded starting at 4:32 p.m., after police received a call of shots fired from a home in the 100-block of East 44th Street.
The shots, it turned out, had actually been fired in the 200-block of West 44th Street, just west of Yale Street.
A 23-year-old man had driven a 32-year-old friend to his sister’s house.
The 32-year-old then exited the vehicle and then, unprovoked, shot the driver, police said.
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The driver was taken to Ben Taub hospital for surgery.
Another male friend soon showed up in a separate car — the suspect shot that individual in the legs numerous times.
Officers applied tourniquets to the second victim before he was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital.
The suspect shot one more person in front of the house before that victim ran to the back. That person was also transported to St. Joseph’s.
One of the victims was the suspect’s brother.
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The suspect then walked eastbound on 44th Street when he was confronted by his sister.
He dropped the gun but then gained control if it again, Acevedo said.
He then shot at a pickup truck but did not injure its driver.
The suspect then continued eastbound when police caught up with him.
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An officer ordered him to drop the gun. He refused.
The officer, who was wearing a body camera, then “discharged several rounds from his firearm,” hitting the suspect.
The suspect was declared dead at the scene.
“The tragedy in this event is that right after the holidays, his father actually witnessed his son [being shot], his sister witnessed this,” Acevedo said.
“It’s very tragic, we don’t know what’s going on with this young man, we don’t know if drugs are involved. We’re not going to speculate.
“The bottom line though is that I’ve personally extended my condolences to the suspect’s father.”