A shooting shortly after a funeral in northeast Houston has left one person dead and another in the hospital, according to FOX 26 Houston. The gunfire erupted around 5:30 last night at a lounge on Mesa Drive near East Houston Road, turning a gathering meant to honor someone who had died into a second tragedy for the same family.
The people at the lounge had come together after a painful day. The family had just buried a loved one earlier and had gathered for a celebration of life, with a large group of people on hand to remember the person they had lost. It was into that crowd that the violence suddenly broke out.
According to police, at some point a fight broke out between two people at the gathering. What began as an argument between the pair quickly escalated, and the confrontation drew in others who were nearby, setting the stage for the deadly moment that followed.
A woman stepped in to try to break up the fight. As she attempted to intervene, she was shot in the leg. Her son was also caught in the gunfire, and he was shot multiple times as the situation spiraled out of control in front of the crowd that had gathered at the lounge.
The son died at the scene from his wounds. His mother, wounded in the leg, was taken to the hospital. What had started as a day of mourning for one family member ended with them losing another, this time to gunfire at the very gathering held in the first person's memory.
Investigators are still trying to piece together exactly what happened, and police say they are still looking for the shooter, who was not in custody. With a large group of people present when the shots were fired, officers were working to establish the sequence of events that led to the deadly confrontation.
Police say that so far not many people have been coming forward, and they are appealing for the public's help. "Somebody lost their life, so we would like people to come forward and help us with this investigation," an officer said, adding that they could use the public's help in identifying what happened. Anyone with information is asked to call Houston Police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.