MillenniumPost
World

Lawyer fires at 9 in Houston strip mall, shot dead by cops

A gunman fired multiple shots and injured nine persons at a strip mall in southwest Houston before being shot dead by the police, the latest mass shooting incident in the US.

An "active shooter at Weslayan & Bissonnet has been shot by our officers; no reports of other suspects at this time," Houston Police tweeted.

The unidentified attacker was shot by the police and was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital, police said.

However, acting Houston Police Chief Martha Montalvo declined to release the suspect's identity, but said that "he is a lawyer and there were issues concerning his law firm." 

She said the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was assisting with the investigation and did not mention terrorism as a motive.

Nine persons were injured in the shooting, police said.

Of those injured, three have been discharged after preliminary treatment, while  six are hospitalised. Two persons are is in a critical condition, CNN reported.

A witness said he heard "over 100 shots" fired including AK-47 and AR-15 gunfire. It was "steady shooting back and forth" between police and the suspect, the man said.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, in Cuba on a trip to develop trade relations, said, “The motive appears to be a lawyer whose relationship with his law firm went bad.”

The police bomb squad was securing the suspect’s car, a black Porsche, which had numerous weapons in it. The police are planning to search his house.

Broken glass from shattered car windows are littered at a parking lot in the upscale shopping centre near where the suspect fired 20 to 30 shots.

An unidentified woman, standing next to a car with two bullet holes in the windshield, told a local television station that she heard “the bullets literally whiz by my window.”

Live video streams showed numerous police cars and ambulances in the area. There were also a few vehicles seen with bullet holes.

The US has witnessed a number of shooting incidents in recent months.

Monday’s shooting comes days after a shooting at a Washington state mall left five persons dead. 

On September 17, a 20-year-old man stabbed 10 people at a Minnesota mall before being shot to death by an off-duty police officer.

The US suffered the worst mass shooting in its history in June when 50 people were killed and 53 injured in Orlando, Florida after a gunman stormed into a packed gay nightclub. 

In December last year, 14 people were killed in a shooting incident in San Bernardino. 

Recent shooting cases

On September 17, a 20-year-old man stabbed 10 people at a Minnesota mall before being shot to death by an off-duty police officer

The US suffered the worst mass shooting in its history in June when 50 people were killed and 53 injured in Orlando, Florida after a gunman stormed into a packed gay nightclub

In Dec 2015, 14 people were killed in a shooting incident in San Bernardino
Next Story
Share it