‘Never really been any crime,’ resident says of neighborhood where brutal Thanksgiving shooting took place
Thanksgiving #Thanksgiving
A new home on a fast-changing street in Spring Branch became a scene of sudden post-Thanksgiving violence late Thursday when a woman’s ex-husband burst in through the back door and opened fire, according to the Houston Police Department.
Around 9:15 p.m., a man stormed into the home where a group of friends and family had just finished eating Thanksgiving dinner, police said. The man shot four people, killing two, including his ex-wife, police said early Friday. Another man was killed, and a second man was seriously injured and in critical condition Friday morning. A 15-year-old boy was also injured and in stable condition, police said.
A 38-year-old suspect in the slayings was arrested, Houston police said Friday.
Kira McKinsey lives in a home diagonal from the site of the shooting in the 1500 block of Baggett Lane. News of the violence was especially shocking.
“I’ve watched the neighborhood redevelop,” she said. “And there’s never really been crime. No one is breaking into cars or anything. But I’ve really watched this area transform in the last two years.”
McKinsey said she hadn’t met the people living at that address.
A review of property records for the address of the shooting shows the home was built in 2021 and was purchased by the current owner in May this year.
Calls to phone numbers connected to the home were not immediately returned.
Baggett Lane is just east of Wirt Road and north of Westview Drive. A listing for the home touts its quick access to U.S. 290, Interstate 610 and I-10.
THANKSGIVING VIOLENCE: Two dead in shooting outside apartment complex.
Police and first responders arrived within five minutes of being called to the scene Thursday night, police said. At least eight people had gathered at the home to celebrate Thanksgiving. Some hid in empty rooms during the shooting, police said. The relationship between those gathered wasn’t immediately clear.
Assistant Police Chief Patricia Cantu said the suspect entered the house and “just started firing” and reloaded his weapon at least once.
While Cantu said they didn’t have a name of a suspect, police had confirmed he was previously in a relationship with the woman who died and they shared a child together.
John Wayne Ferguson contributed to this report.