The suspect, described as black in his 40s, was shot to death outside the burning residences by an officer who arrived on the scene as Houston firefighters came under fire and were forced to retreat, Houston Police Chief Troy Finer said in a a piece of news. conference on Sunday. “This suspect, unfortunately, and very unfortunately, very badly, set multiple residences on fire, waited for these residents to come out, and fired at them,” Finer said. The episode unfolded shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday in a southwest Houston neighborhood. Robin Ahrens, a resident of a multi-room rental facility, reacts to a fatal shooting at the apartments in Houston, Aug. 28, 2022. A longtime tenant set several fires at the facility early Sunday morning and then shot at residents as they fled the blaze, before authorities fatally shot him, police said. Brett Coomer/AP Finer said the suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was recently told he was being evicted from his room. But Finner said a motive is still under investigation. “He’s been staying a long time and that might have been the trigger for him. I don’t know, but that’s part of the investigation,” Finner said. The chief said several calls to 911 were made starting around 1:07 a.m. reporting a fire and shots fired. Fire crews arrived at the scene before police and were met with gunfire, prompting them to retreat, said Houston Fire Department Assistant Chief Michael Mir. “As our firefighters came into the crossfire and retreated, they were still focusing their attention on potential victims inside the structure. There were two that they were able to get out,” Mire said. Neighbors stand around a multi-room rental facility in the wake of a fatal shooting in Houston, Aug. 28, 2022. A longtime tenant set several fires at the site early Sunday and then shot residents as they fled the fire, before authorities fatally shot shot him, police said. Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP Finer said a seven-year veteran of the Houston Police Department arrived at the scene after firefighters came under fire. Finer said the officer saw the armed suspect prone in a parking lot across the street from the fire and fatally shot him. “Our officer stepped up and took action, and for that I’m very proud of him,” Finer said. The officer, whose name was not immediately released, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, he said. Finner said investigators found a shotgun with an empty shell casing next to the body of the alleged gunman. He said it remains under investigation whether the man fired at the officer before he was shot dead. Finer said two white men, both in their 60s, were fatally shot and killed at the scene. A third shooting victim he described as a black man in his 40s was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He said a man in his 40s or 50s was shot in the arm and another survivor was injured running from the scene. The owner of the multi-unit rental complex where the fiery ambush took place told ABC station KTRK in Houston that the suspect had lived in the complex since 2013 but had not been paying rent. The owner, who asked not to be named, confirmed the suspect was evicted and handed over his keys on Saturday. Among the victims killed in the incident was the rental complex’s property manager, according to the owner.
