Police say a 19-year-old Houston teen shot two younger teens, killing one, after they beat him up and tried to rob him, ABC13 reported.
The shooting stemmed from an apparent drug deal gone bad when the two younger teens, both 16-year-olds, began beating the 19-year-old, and demanding that he go inside his apartment and bring back valuables, police said, according to ABC13. However, investigators say that when the 19-year-old went back to his apartment, his mother met him at the door and handed him a gun, the outlet reported.
19-year-old shoots 2 alleged robbers – one fatally – after the teens beat him up with brass knuckles, Texas police say https://t.co/PJurAxchPr
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 18, 2024
When the two teens continued to demand valuables and threatened the 19-year-old’s mother, the teen reportedly opened fire, killing one of the 16-year-olds, and sending the other to the hospital, according to the outlet.
“He opened fire, striking both suspects,” a police lieutenant said. “One is deceased here on scene. The other was shot in the abdomen and leg. That suspect was transported to a local hospital by HFD. Everyone involved in this case is an older teen, 19 to 16 years in age.”
Police said that although the 19-year-old sustained injuries from the brass knuckle beating that required hospital care, he is expected to survive, ABC13 reported.
Neighbors bemoaned the use of guns to settle disputes, with one telling ABC13, “I wish it was like the old days where everybody would fight instead of shoot.”
Another shooting occurred in the same neighborhood earlier in the week when a young boy walking on the sidewalk was shot by somebody in a passing car, according to ABC13.