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A rash of shootings in Houston left at least nine people dead and another eight wounded in what Police Chief Art Acevedo called an “unusually violent weekend.”
The violence came against the backdrop of mass slayings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio condemned by Acevedo. The chief, who spoke Sunday at vigils for the victims of two mass slayings, on Monday acknowledged the shootings in his own jurisdiction.
“We hope this is an anomaly and not something that becomes the new norm,” he told the Chronicle, adding that police have started identifying possible suspects in the separate investigations.
At the vigils on Sunday, Acevedo pressed the need for legislation that curbs gun violence, a topic he routinely addresses on social media. He stood with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in calling for universal background checks for gun purchases and assault rifle bans.
His comments came as Houston police responded to slayings that left eight people dead from 1:30 a.m. Saturday to 2:34 a.m. Monday. Police reported another seven people wounded by gunfire in that time frame, including a 2-year-old child who was shot Sunday while playing with a pistol.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office also responded to a fatal shooting Sunday in the 10000 block of Revelstroke, where a woman was fatally shot and a man wounded during an argument.
“When you look at the amount of gunfire, not just in our city but cities across the country, it highlights why it’s critical in the criminal justice system for judges, when they’re looking at people with a history violent crimes when we catch them with guns, to take those violations seriously,” Acevedo said, without referring to any specific suspects.
The first homicide Houston police handled over the weekend, around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, left one man dead and another wounded after a suspect shot them while they were stopped at a red light on Collingsworth Street.The next homicide, at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, also involved a car. The driver was found fatally shot with the passenger wounded in the vehicle in the 8100 block of Leonora Street, police said.
Later Saturday, around 3 p.m., a man was found fatally shot after he was apparently involved in a road rage dispute, police said.
SUNDAY VIGILS: Hundreds of Houstonians mourn for El Paso dead
The shooting continued Sunday.
A woman was found dead around 3 p.m. after reportedly arguing with her boyfriend over a gun in the 10000 block of Revelstoke Drive. Two hours later, a store clerk was killed in a robbery in the 14900 block of Old Humble Road. One hour later, a woman was found shot to death in her home on Wild Hollow Lane, where a man was also found with multiple gunshot wounds.
That night, a woman’s pregnant body was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds in a northwest Houston motel. Then, at 10:45 p.m., a man was fatally shot after a fight outside a bar in the 3000 block of Blodgett.
Finally, at 2:45 a.m. Monday, a man was found dead with gunshot wounds at an apartment in the 6400 block of Westheimer.
When analyzing the weekend violence, Acevedo pressed the need to pass HR8, a federal bill that creates new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties.
“And if members of the Senate don’t want to do the right thing and pass HR8…They should retire and make room for people who are willing to do the heavy lifting for the safety of the people,” he said.