Homeowner upset by slow police response to call reporting man claiming he was shot, demanding entry

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Homeowners in a Southeast Houston neighborhood say they’re concerned after a man ran up to multiple homes claiming he was shot.

Steven Edwards didn’t believe the man’s story and called the police. “I could tell he wasn’t shot with the way he was moving around,” Edwards said.

Edward’s doorbell camera captured the moments the man ran up to his house.

“Let me in, I’ve been shot, open up, I’ve been shot,” the man exclaims after pounding on the door.

Edwards said he called the police at about 4:14 a.m. The man eventually ran off to another part of the neighborhood, Edwards said.

Police received more calls about the man, shortly after.

spoke with another homeowner who had cameras that captured another incident.

The video shows the man running up to the home. Then, a small black sedan can be seen following behind.

The homeowner said he didn’t want to talk on camera out of fear the man would come back.

Police arrived at the scene after another call reported a man was breaking into their home.

“Step it up code 2,” a dispatcher said over the radio. “A male was breaking in.”

After a dispatcher on the radio said a caller reported that a man was shot, the priority of the call was upgraded to code 1, which signifies a life-threatening incident in progress.

Police arrived at the scene about 40 minutes after Edward’s initial call.

HPD offices are closed for the holidays and they were unable to provide any information about what happened to the man.

However, police said on the radio that they believed he was “under the influence.”

Edwards believes his call should have been handled differently.

“If they don’t arrive soon enough, there’s no telling what could happen,” he said.