Comment Four people were killed when a man set fire to a residence, fired at fleeing people and was then killed by a police officer early Sunday in Houston, authorities said. Shortly after 1 a.m., city police and fire officials received calls about a fire and shots fired at a rental home, Houston Police Chief Troy Finer said at a news conference. Firefighters arrived first but had to take cover when the gunman opened fire, although it was unclear if he fired at them. Immediately after, police officers arrived at the scene and found the perpetrator in a parking lot opposite the house. An officer shot and killed the man, who was dressed in black and armed with a shotgun, Finer said. The two residents were pronounced dead at the scene and the third died at the hospital. “I’ve seen things I haven’t seen in 32 years,” said the police chief. “And it’s happened over and over again, and people are asking the police chief and police chiefs, ‘Why?’ And we don’t even know right now. We’re just asking for the community to come together.” Authorities have not named the people who were killed. They said the gunman was in his 40s and the victims were men aged between 40 and 60. In addition to those killed, a man was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm. Another man had minor injuries that did not require a hospital visit. The gunman had recently said he would be deported, Finer said. “That might have been a trigger point for him, but I don’t know,” he said. “This is part of the investigation.” The officer who shot the suspect is a seven-year veteran of the force and has been placed on administrative leave per Houston Police Department policy. The district attorney’s office is investigating and the police department will conduct its own investigation.
