At least two people were killed and three others were seriously injured on Sunday after a shooting at a crowded flea market in Houston. The shooting happened in the afternoon when thousands were busy shopping in the market. The gunmen opened fire, killing two people, Harris County Sheriff's Office said.
Police have launched an investigation and have arrested at least one person in connection with the shooting. The shooting appears to have stemmed from an altercation among a group of men but police are still unsure about the details that led to the shooting, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Firearms and ammunition were also recovered from the scene.
Wild Scene
According to Harris County Sheriff's Office, shots rang out just after 1 p.m. at a flea market near 8720 Airline Drive. Two men died on the scene, while three others were sent to local hospitals in critical condition. According to investigators, all five people were involved in the incident that led to the shooting.
The "shooting may have stemmed from an altercation between two parties that turned violent," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a later tweet.
"For now, it appears the wounded were all likely participants in the altercation, no innocent bystanders injured as far as we know," the sheriff said. "At least 2 pistols recovered, multiple shots fired."
Gonzalez later tweeted that the incident occurred on a busy Sunday with "thousands of patrons" visiting the flea market. Although the flea market was packed on Sunday afternoon when the incident occurred, no innocent bystanders were injured.
There have been contradictory reports that one of the suspects was detained at the scene but police haven't said anything officially.
Gun Violence on the Rise
At least two pistols were recovered, authorities said. Officials said the victims appeared to be in their early to mid-20s and likely knew each other, adding that the shooting was not random, according to the Xinhua news agency.
The gunfire came on the same day as a shooting at a California church that left one person dead and a day after an 18-year-old White guy shot and killed 10 people at a grocery in a mainly Black Buffalo neighborhood.
According to authorities, Payton Gendron, the alleged gunman, was driven by extremist ideas and had a history of making violent threats.
When he shot four individuals in the parking lot of the Tops supermarket at about 2:30 p.m., he was dressed in military fatigues, body armor, and a tactical helmet. He then allegedly shot nine people inside before surrendering to authorities.
