2 men with rifle tried to impress teen girls when shots fired near HPD station, chief says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Two men in possession of a rifle were trying to impress two teenage girls when shots were fired near a police substation, HPD said.

Police Chief Art Acevedo said it happened around 10:30 p.m. Monday. He said officers were in the parking lot of the HPD substation when they heard four to five shots fired, with one of the shots hitting a tree by the parking lot.

Officers quickly found the two men and two girls at Law Park, which is not too far from the HPD substation. Acevedo said that the men and two girls waited for patrol officers to arrive and were detained without incident.

During an investigation, officers learned a 20-year-old borrowed an AK-47 assault-style rifle. He then picked up his 19-year-old brother, along with two 15-year-old girls who were babysitting a 5-year-old child and a puppy.

“Our investigation has determined they were not targeting the station. The girls told them, ‘Do you realize that’s the police station over there?'” Acevedo said during a briefing with reporters Tuesday morning. “When a helicopter spotted them, they knew there was nowhere to go.”

The 20-year-old man has been charged with felony deadly conduct. His brother and the two 15-year-olds were released, and the 5-year-old that was with them was taken to the child’s mother.

Although no one was hurt, Acevedo wants to remind others about the dangers of such acts.

“When you discharge a firearm in a populated area, that is deadly conduct. We can’t tolerate that. We’re fortunate the rounds hit a tree and not an officer in the parking lot,” he said.

The recent shooting comes after officers heard 50 to 60 shots nearby on June 7.

The shooter from that incident was never found.